san antonio construction news march 2015

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A drive-in for a new generation

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Contractors and equipment compa-nies need to keep track of their trucks and machines, and for more

than a decade now, Blake Stephens has been helping them do it as the owner and president of GPS of Texas. While the company sells tracking de-vices for vehicles and equipment all over the United States and Canada, GPS of Texas, which started in San Antonio about 16 years ago, has most of its pres-ence in South Texas. Stephens observes that business doubled in 2013 and dou-bled again last year, attributing much of that growth to the oil boom in the Eagle Ford Shale as contractors and other com-panies continue adding trucks to keep up with the work.

He says that equipment and rental companies often use it for theft protec-tion. This also allows them to tie into an hour meter and track how long equip-ment has been running so that it can be properly maintained accordingly. Stephens describes the GPS devices as profit tools that promote fuel savings, overtime savings, proof of work, efficien-cy and productivity by holding workers accountable for their output and time. He notes that the people who really toe the line love it. He adds that some are afraid of it, because the system can weed out workers who are pulling productivity down, and then the bottom line im-proves dramatically and quickly.

In running GPS of Texas, Blake Stephens has helped companies track their workers and work hours, even solving some crimes in the process.

Do you remember the good old days when moviegoers could park their best ride at an old-fashioned

drive-in theatre and enjoy a feature un-der the stars with tasty food and good friends? Well, those days are back. Drive-in movie theatres are returning to Texas. Whiting-Turner helped bring the first of these new theatres to the San An-tonio area with the Stars & Stripes Drive-In in New Braunfels, which aims to open this spring. The private owner of the fam-ily-owned theatre, who was very involved in the building process, has two other drive-in locations in Lubbock and Mid-land. Located on Kroesche Lane, in a rural area off I-35 and 1101, the project encom-passed the development of roughly 50 acres. The property hosts a total of seven buildings and three screens, with space for a potential fourth. As you enter the

main drive, you approach one of three bright red box offices underneath a met-al-roofed canopy to purchase your tick-ets. Each screen has a galvalume-clad booth, roughly 100sf in size, to project the feature to the outdoor big screen. The focal point of the property is the centrally located 7,000-sf concession building. Clad in galvalume siding and natural stacked limestone, the design lends a modern take on the classic drive-in that blends in with the rural landscape. While the drive-in concept may con-jure retro images of yesterday, the look for the Stars & Stripes in New Braunfels is based on today’s design concepts with clean lines giving the classic drive-in a modern feel. There are pendant lights hung from an exposed metal roof struc-ture, smooth white countertops, pol-ished concrete floors and shiny fabric

The Stars & Stripes Drive-In Theatre in New Braunfels, the first new drive-in in the San Antonio area, will be opening soon. Photo by Bob Wickley, Photographer

Aztec Theater

The new home of Treco Enterprises, Inc. has been about two years in the making, and finally, Edward “JR”

Trevino, vice president – business devel-opment, and his parents have a new home the business can call its own. Since Treco had outgrown its former office off Tradesman Drive, which was about 1,000sf, JR and his father, Edward Trevino, Treco’s president, sought out a bigger, more central location. When they found their new office downtown at 1414 North San Jacinto, the space needed a lot of work, but being general contractors, they put two years of work into the build-ing. About six months ago, they achieved substantial completion on their new base of operations.

After doing a little research into the new building’s history, JR discovered that the building was once home to David Pace, founder of Pace Foods. Upon dig-ging up the original deed, he learned that Hettie Bosshardt sold the land to Da-vid and Margaret (nee Bosshardt) Pace on Dec. 21, 1955 and a portion of the property was deeded to the city for the expressway, which is I-10 today. Now, with Treco settling into its home, business continues to pick up pace. Running 12 trucks and about 15 employees, those numbers are up from when they first bought the new building. JR comments that having their own prop-erty has been conducive to the growth of

JR Trevino is proud of the new headquarters that he, his father, and their teamrenovated for Treco Enterprises.

San Antonio Construction News • Mar 2015

When Garth Coursen and Kerry Koehler set out to establish their own civil engineering firm

in 2008, the recession was draining the economic pool. Coursen says they figured it was time to either sink or swim, and they jumped off the diving board. Cours-en-Koehler Engineering & Associates

Capital and courage

(CKE) was the result of that leap of faith. Having had a work relationship for about 15 years, Coursen and Koehler first worked together at Turner Collie & Braden (TCB), and then a smaller firm, but they soon realized they wanted to strike out on their own. The biggest challenge to that goal

L-R: Kerry J. Koehler, president, and David Brodbeck, project manager,at the CKE office on Warfield

was financing it. Coursen notes that it takes capital and a lot of courage, and it’s important to have your families behind you, because nothing is a guarantee when you make that jump. Fortunately, with the relationship they developed with the Bank of San An-tonio, they were able to secure an SBA loan that provided the seed money to get them started. Coursen and Koehler specialize in single-family residential development. With the downturn in the economy, they expanded into commercial projects. To-day, the firm does a lot of land develop-ment, flood plain analysis and master planning. Their recent projects include River Rock Ranch, the Ranches at Cibolo Creek, Valencia Hills and Emerald Oaks retirement community. “We have 12 employees,” says Cours-en. “We’ve basically doubled in size over the last year-and-a-half. We feel we’ve taken advantage of a little bit of the re-bound in the market. We’re cautiously optimistic.” Though Coursen doesn’t expect their growth to continue at that rate, he says they’re comfortable with it. He hopes to expand with a couple more pro-fessionals in the next year to 18 months and to expand services and do some mu-nicipal work. –mh

Mike Holland, new chief operat-ing officer at The Marek Compa-nies, has been with the compa-

ny for 31 years and says the company’s culture towards employees encourages long-time retention. Holland will be headquartered in Houston. “Some of this started with the three original Marek brothers and their desire to share the company and its success with the employees,” Holland says. “We don’t look at people as a short-term in-vestment. We look at them as a long-term investment. I’m an example of that.” Holland will oversee the operations for the award-winning specialty subcon-tractor’s offices in Houston, Dallas-Ft Worth, San Antonio, Austin and Atlanta. “We selected Mike to provide the leadership and sustainability for our overall operations as we position the company for continued growth through-out our markets over the next decade,” said Stan Marek, president and CEO of the Marek Family of Companies. “Hol-land, a proven leader with over 40 years of experience in the construction indus-try, has served the Marek Companies as the Houston Division president for the last 31 years.” In addition to his role with the com-pany, Holland, who is married and has three children, currently serves on the boards of several industry organizations, including the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Houston Chapter, American Subcontractors Association (ASA) Houston Chapter and the Con-struction Career Collaborative (C3). He is a member of the Texas A&M Construc-tion Industry Advisory Council and is in-volved in the community as a board member of the Greater Houston YMCA, the Foster Family YMCA and Covenant House Association. He says the company’s long- and short-term goals remain focused on strength and growth. “In the long-term, it’s really about the quality of people we find to grow from top to bottom,” Holland says. “In the short-term, it’s about sharpening the saw. Making sure everything we do is aimed in the right direction. The market is constantly changing and we want to make sure we are in the right place doing the right things.” Marek is a 77-year-old private, family-owned specialty interior subcontractor that provides both commercial and residential construction services to major office, retail, healthcare and institutional clients. –cw

New COO at Marek

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Construction News sales staff Kent Gerstner and Jim Reilly journeyed to Dallas last month to represent the five-city newspaper at the 2015 Dallas Build Expo USA…

Does it feel hot in here? Maybe it was just photographer extraordinaire Mary Haskins heating things up at last month’s Associated General Contractor’s Salsa Taste-off!

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. . . With that, I’m out’a here


With more than 70 years of expe-rience combined, Fred Belfort and Barry Black set out to

forge their own path with Belfort – Black Contracting, Inc. in March of last year. As their general contracting company cele-brates its first anniversary, they empha-size that the business is new, but they are by no means new to the business. As general contractors with back-grounds in professional engineering and inspection and testing, their experience lends itself well to identifying construc-tability and design issues. They can also identify holes in bid packages and pro-vide true project cost. An engineer by training, Black came to Texas from Tennessee in 1998 after making a career change to get into con-struction, thus wearing both hats. As a contractor, he worked with Belfort, who was with Drash Consulting Engineers at the time, on several projects for material testing and geotechnical engineering

With engineer’s eyes

expertise. Belfort started in the engineer-ing field in 1976 out of high school in Michigan, working summers in the engi-neering department for the City of Sagi-naw, MI. “We have experience not only as pro-fessionals in our respective industries and our specialized skills, but we’ve been out on job sites working as laborers, fore-men and superintendents,” explains Black. “This hands-on experience gives us a perspective of the work from several angles, and I think that’s important for our clients and the services we offer.” What they do is already expanding as they are in the process of creating a concrete division to provide subcontrac-tor work in addition to their general con-tracting services. They are working in the private sector and interested in the gov-ernment sector. The company is MBE/SBE/HABE/ESBE and Texas HUB certified, working on DBE certification with a goal to become an 8(a) contractor. –mh

L-R: Barry Black’s engineering and construction experience and Fred Belfort’s construction experience while working with engineering firms allows them to see plans from both

perspectives for projects they are involved with in their own general contracting company.

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Fasten-ating

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The more the Mosel

Originally starting out as a plumb-ing contractor, L.C. Mosel Com-pany has branched out in its

three generations. In 1947, Louis Clarence Mosel Sr. bought the construction side of Martin Bauml Plumbing. At the time, he had a partner, and the company was called Mosel and Terrell until he bought out the Terrells in 1969. That was when the company became L.C. Mosel. In time, Mosel’s son, Louis Clarence Mosel Jr. became president, and in 1988, his son, Kurt Mosel came into the business, tak-ing over as president a couple years later. During the course of being a plumb-ing contractor, the younger Mosel ex-plains that the company started doing air conditioning also and then opened its own sheet metal shop to help with the AC side. The company evolved into a full-fledged mechanical contractor. In 1975, as a result of some joint ven-ture projects, Louis Mosel Jr. and Kurt Monier, A.J. Monier, also a San Antonio

mechanical contractor, decided to join their sheet metal shops to form M&M Metals. It is still owned by both compa-nies today. Kurt Mosel started at the family busi-ness in 1976 and started his apprentice-ship for sheet metal in 1982. He and his father are active in the Mechanical and Sheet Metal Contractors Association (MCA-SMACNA) and both have served as president several times. “Dad’s been the greatest boss in the world,” says Mosel. “I think a lot of father and son businesses may have a tough time, but Dad’s always been really good and easy to work with.” The Mosels enjoy spending their time at the coast. Mosel Jr. was in the Merchant Marine and built a 32-foot off-shore deep sea fishing boat before he discovered his passion for skeet shoot-ing. Kurt Mosel enjoys restoring and col-lecting classic cars with a particular fond-ness for his Mustang fastbacks. –mh

L-R: Louis and Kurt Mosel represent two generations of leadership at L.C. Mosel Company.

Working as a general manager for Fastenal overseeing the com-pany’s location on Nakoma,

Brandon Beck loves his customers; he particularly enjoys hearing their stories about the projects and businesses that bring them into the store. Beck says that customers come in from a variety of different businesses in the area, as well as from a variety of fields. He has customers who are from sign manufacturers, roofing companies, and a battery plant that does car batteries. One customer makes breach doors for SWAT teams and military to practice on, and he buys adhesive spray among other items. Another customer down the street makes plastic injection molds for the breach door customer’s business. He notes that there are a few others who come into the store to buy something to work on some aspect of that same cus-tomer’s projects. Having grown up in Castroville, Beck

was a journeyman plumber, working at Beyer Boys for eight-and-a-half years. He has also worked as sales for Pepsi-Cola and fleet rental for Enterprise. He started at Fastenal as an outside sales represen-tative in July 2011, and he made general manager in five months. His wife, Holly Beck, is a product manager for Friedrich Air Conditioning, where she does design. They have an 11-year-old daughter who keeps them busy with volleyball and soccer, and a son, turning 2 this month, who keeps them busy with everything, Beck jokes. Beck’s store is one of six locations Fastenal has in San Antonio, plus sur-rounding cities, including Universal City and Kerrville with stores in Pleasanton and Uvalde also. The company has 2,700 stores across North America. Fastenal sells industrial and construction supplies, including fasteners, nuts, bolts, washers and screws. They also sell supplies for welding, electrical and plumbing. –mh

L-R: Brandon Beck, general manager, and Samantha Rodriguez, sales support, hear interesting tales of projects and businesses in the neighborhood.


Michael RivasPresident

Valla Construction

In 2002, Michael Rivas started out as Valla Design Group. A year later, he started Valla Construction, Inc. Today,

the construction side of the business is far larger than the interior design side. The company does quite a bit of design build work, which is one of the biggest benefits of working with Valla; their cli-ents benefit from both sides. Now, Rivas is able enjoy the best of both worlds. At 46, he keeps busy as a business-man and a father. At work, he recently broke ground on a 10,000-sf two-story office building and a Haven for Hope project that were both design build. At home, he spends as much time as he can with his sons and he still lives in the home he built for himself that started him on the path to being a general contractor.

Where did you grow up? And how did you get started in the industry? I was born and raised here in San An-tonio. I grew up in the Inspiration Hills area and went to Central Catholic [High School] for two years, and then I trans-ferred to Holmes. When I graduated from Holmes, I was top 5 percent of my class, which opened up many doors for me in the college arena, and I was accepted ev-erywhere I applied. I decided to get my feet wet locally. So I ended up going to UTSA – when there wasn’t much of UTSA back in ’86. I was there for two years and met a friend there who had suggested, “Let’s apply to A&M.” So, we applied and I got accepted. The letter went to my parents’ house, so they found out about it before I did. I transferred to A&M the next semes-ter. My first drafting classes were in high school, which was really what started my education for my college career in archi-tecture – my degree is in environmental design architecture. I graduated in ’91 and moved back to San Antonio. The economy was still in the recession that we had experienced in the late ‘80s. I spoke to people that I knew in the architecture profession and asked their opinion about what they thought my next move should be. I wasn’t sure if I should go back to school for my master’s or if I should just dive into on the job training and get out in the field. Basically, I was advised by everyone to work in the field and get experience. So, I ended up working for an archi-tect here in town, waited tables, and I moonlighted at night. I also had a little side company I started when I graduated college to design custom homes. I also designed quite a bit for Racquetball and Fitness Clubs to supplement my income. My first job was minimum wage, and it was just to start getting experience. I was paid a strict 40-hour workweek, but I would work about an hour or two extra every day. I would spend the extra time reading documents and contracts and anything else pertinent to learn as much as I could in a real working office. I stayed at my first job for about a year and a half. I found out about another architect that was hiring. I applied with him, and after the interview, he hired me on the spot. His name was Daniel Muzquiz. He was from San Antonio. He had just moved back from California. I

was with him for about nine years. He re-ally developed me into how I run my business and how I treat my employees. He taught me a lot. There was a lot of trust that we had for each other. I had been offered jobs at other firms – large firms – and I was never really a large firm kind of a person. I liked the smaller firms, because I was able to be in-volved in everything. [Daniel] gave me the freedom to work in many areas of the field. I really learned a lot under him. I was his senior project manager, and we ended up pick-ing up some big contracts for the VA hos-pital. I headed up all that work from sche-matic design to punch lists. I ended up designing and building my house in Helotes. I broke ground in 2002. With starting this project, I felt that I couldn’t give Daniel the time for what he was paying me for. We sat down and I explained the situation to him. He under-stood completely. I put my two weeks in, and we worked it out – we still talk today. I still ask him for advice and ask how things are going, as we are still friends. My house was my first design build project. Building my house made me re-alize that I could go out on my own and start my own business. I still had my little side business designing custom homes. While I was building my house, I started building up my workload, and I part-nered up with an old school friend of mine. His degree was from A&M in archi-tecture also. We started a little design firm. We would refer contractors to our clients. If something went wrong with a contractor we would hear about it. I sat back one day and said, “You know what? I can do this.” So, in 2003, I started Valla Construction, Inc. We kept the two businesses sepa-rate, so we had the design side and we had the construction side. We were de-signing and then we were starting to build what we were designing through Valla Construction. When I started Valla, I brought in another partner on that be-cause of leads and referrals he was able to bring. I was able to start building up Valla Construction. In 2004, my first part-ner on the design side decided he want-ed to go out on his own. So, I bought him out. It was my second partner and myself that started building Valla up, and six years ago, he decided he wanted to do something different. So, I bought him out, and now I’m the sole owner of Valla Construction.

What do you do in your spare time outside of work? My spare time? How much spare time do I have? I have three wonderful boys, and I spend as much time with them as I can. My oldest one is a sophomore in college. He and my second oldest boy have worked here in the company during the summers. I was trying to get my oldest one to come on board, but he’s doing his own thing and that’s fine. He’s studying cyber security, which – in San Antonio, you can’t go wrong with that. So, I’m very happy for him. I love to go fishing as often as possi-ble, and I have a condo down at the coast. I do a lot of volunteer work with St. Luke’s Men’s Club that I am a member of and we do a lot of fundraising activities. I‘ve been involved with St. Luke’s since I was in college. I really didn’t become a full member until probably ’95. It’s a fraternity of men, and we meet once a month and plan fundraisers for charity. Our big func-tion is the Wild Game Dinner, which is coming up the first weekend in March. About 800 people attend this, and we have a live auction with all sorts of items. The money we raise, we pay off our bills, and what’s left over, we donate to various charities and nonprofits – Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, St. Vincent de Paul, the battered women’s shelter, the State School, you name it. Then, we have a big dinner where we give the money out to everybody. I’m a volunteer. It takes a lot of work. We prepare year round for this one event, and the week before the Wild Game,

we’re working all week, preparing the food and the venue. St. Lukes Men’s Club was the originator of the Wild Game din-ner. And other organizations have emu-lated what we have put together. It’s re-ally focused on hunting, fishing, camping – outdoors. There are fishing trips and hunting trips that are raffled and auc-tioned. There are firearms, fishing rod combos, coolers, and everything else that goes with that lifestyle. A lot of people and organizations are involved and sponsor corporate tables every year like Valla does. It’s a very well known, popular event.

Are you involved in any other organi-zations? We belong to the Hispanic Contrac-tors Association (HCA), the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the BB and SAGE to name a few.

What about your hobbies? I take my kids fishing. I travel when I can travel. One of my passions is paint-balling. So, I take my kids and friends and we go paintballing. I take some of the employees also. It’s a stress reliever. It’s a way for us to kind of decompress a little bit. I go with my kids more often than with anybody else. It’s a good bonding thing for me and my boys. All three of them play. I also love to scuba dive, and my oldest son is certified as well.

Tell me more about your family. Are your parents from San Antonio? My parents are from San Antonio, and they provided a lot of support for me, especially through college and then in the early years when the work was re-ally hard. My mom passed away six years ago. My dad worked for the U.S. Depart-ment of Labor (DOL) – Wage and Hour. He retired, and he still lives here in San Antonio. He helps me with the kids all the time. He’s a doting grandfather. He calls my kids his kids, and they’re very close. My dad helped us early on, especially when we started getting involved with the government work, because of the wage scales. The DOL would do seminars – well, I knew everybody over there, so any questions I had, if my dad couldn’t an-swer, he would say to call so-and-so and they can answer that question for you. During that time was when we started getting into the government work about 10 years ago being an 8(a) contractor. So, he was able to actually help us with some of those issues at the very beginning.

What stands out to you about the ex-perience of having your own design and construction business? Having my own business affords me the freedom to make my decisions and be able to live with those decisions and run the company the way I was trained through Dan Muzquiz. I really try to emulate [him] the way I treat my employees. We don’t have time cards. It’s all on the honor system. We’re a close family. Everybody we’ve hired has always been from some-body that we know. I have an employee

that I’ve known since I was 4 years old and an employee that I’ve known since I was in fourth grade. Also, an employee that I met through the Cub Scouts when my now 20-year-old son was a Cub Scout. So, that’s kind of how we’ve brought peo-ple in, and it keeps that trust and that common thread of looking out for the company for the long term. I try to be fair with everybody and treat everybody equally and just the way I’ve been treated in my years of learning. I’ve always been strong on the artis-tic side since I was young. That’s how I got into drafting and then drawing and then AutoCAD. I started construction work when I was 15. I began working in New Jersey with some cousins in East Ha-nover. We built custom decks. I would work up there during the summers when I was in high school. That was my first step into construction. My biggest satisfaction is seeing a completed project, especially one I know that we’ve designed and that we’ve taken from the very beginning to completion. That was one of the frustrating things for me in the past on the architectural side of things – spending all that energy doing a drawing or a project and it never gets built. I’ve experienced that quite a bit with the architectural firms that I’ve worked with, and it’s disappointing when you put all that effort and thought in the design. When you’re designing, you’re designing in your sleep, at night, you’re thinking and thinking, and you wake up with solutions. You’re always working on it. So, for something to not come to frui-tion is really disappointing.

What is it like balancing the design and construction sides of business? Both sides complement each other, and that was my vision from the very be-ginning when we had just the design side and I created the construction, that they would feed off each other. We have 15 employees. Everybody’s flexible. We all wear multiple hats. So, even though you’re on the interior de-sign side, they give support to the con-struction. We are all involved in getting submittals, close out docs, going to meetings and going to punch lists etc.

Do you have any personal goals that you’re working towards right now? Well, one of them is that I want to keep building this business and make it as successful as I can, not just for me but for my employees. Because everybody has a vested interest in the company, and being a business owner, it’s a big burden, be-cause you’re responsible for everybody that works for you. And if something goes well, it benefits everybody. If it doesn’t go well, then it hurts everybody. That’s something that I think about all the time. I recently purchased a building, of-fice and warehouse, on the eastside. It is within the Promise Zone and Eastpoint designated areas. Valla is on the SAGE board and is actively developing working relationships with local businesses to help develop the area. –mh

Michael Rivas evolved his design business into Valla Construction, and since 2003, he has been providing both services to commercial, government, healthcare and institutional clients.


Galloping along

The new Mesquite family

Though Mesquite Interiors started out in 1984 with one owner and transitioned to three, the company

is now back to having one owner, long-time partner, Gary Wilhelm. After sharing the business with two partners, the original owner retired two years ago, at which point, Wilhelm’s wife, Sandi, came into the company. Then, Wilhelm’s partner, Jerry Taliaferro, re-tired in May, and Wilhelm bought all of the shares as well as the building Mes-quite had been housed in that had also been owned by all three partners. He recalls that the first large job they did was the Fairmount Hotel. Mesquite also did the Sunshine Cottage for deaf children with Kopplow Construction, with Wilhelm noting that they do a lot of work for Ed Kopplow. They also did the Butterkrust Bakery building on Broadway and recently finished work on the San Antonio Children’s Museum. They also do a lot of work with Metropolitan Con-

tracting Company and the Fetzer Com-panies. Wilhelm notes that the partners had an agreement that there would be no family involved while all three of them were running the company. Today, with Wilhelm as sole owner, he runs the com-pany as president, his wife is vice presi-dent, and their daughter, Courtney, is office manager. Their daughter, Can-dace, has just started college, and she is an assistant at Mesquite. “We do all gauged galvanized steel framing, drywall, acoustical ceilings and insulation,” says Wilhelm. “We try to chase the more negotiated projects. We don’t bid public schools anymore. We haven’t for years. It’s been a good ride.” Now that Mesquite is a family busi-ness, Wilhelm notes that it has been neat to sit and talk with family over coffee at work in the morning, as he jokes, “I’m not a micromanager.” –mh

L-R: Sandi, Courtney and Gary Wilhelm have made Mesquite Interiorsinto their own family business.

Getting their granite going

Though Superior Granite By Vivaldi has 12 locations across Texas, in-cluding one in Albuquerque, NM,

the company opened its first San Antonio location at the end of November. The new store on Warfield has drawn customers that include custom home-builders, fabricators and remodelers. As a wholesaler, Superior sells the raw materi-al to contractors and builders, which makes their market very specific. Since Superior does not fabricate or cut the granite, they do not market to homeown-ers since they do not typically have some-one or some way to transport or cut the stone. Steven Villarreal, manager for San Antonio, came on board a week after the location opened. Asking 110 percent of his employees, he goes the extra mile for his customers as well. Though the store is closed on Sundays, he has emphasized to customers that he will open on Sunday to show a specific type of granite or address

a need that arises. In the new store, Superior carries va-rieties of granite, marble and onyx as well as sinks and tools. He notes that other Su-perior locations have flooring, too. Since customers have already inquired about flooring, they aim to incorporate flooring soon, and faucets, he adds. Villarreal served in the Marine Corps for 10 years. Back home in Laredo, he used to work for a granite company with his background in sales, always in man-agement. In his experience, “if you take care of your employees, they will take care of you.” In June, he came to San Antonio be-cause of his daughter, Alexis, who is 18 and was starting at the University of Tex-as at San Antonio (UTSA) where she is studying sports medicine. Father and daughter are so close that when she moved in at UTSA, he moved into a place of his own, relocating to be near her. They talk every day. –mh

Steven Villarreal, branch manager for Superior Granite’s new San Antonio location, greets customers as they enter the indoor showroom.

As president of Mustang Colt Ser-vices, Bill Shaw is very comfort-able in the industry and has en-

joyed learning new things over the last 10 years since he established the company, formerly known as Mustang Electric. Having started out in November 2004, Shaw says that the endeavor to go into business for himself was “a goal skip-ping one generation” since his grandfa-ther owned his own business in the mid-1900s. Shaw describes his father, who worked for CPS, as very artistic and orga-nized, noting, “I admired these qualities and strive to follow his lead, God rest his soul.” He enjoys art as one of his many in-terests outside work. He also enjoys many outdoor activities, including golf, hunting, fishing, and of course – as one might guess since his passion for wild mustangs inspired the name of his com-pany – rodeo is what he enjoys and in-dulges in mostly. Before starting out on the path that brought him to a milestone decade in business, Shaw served in the Navy, where he was an ET, but his Naval career was cut short. When he was honorably dis-charged from active duty in 1978, he used the training and the GI Bill for ap-prenticeship school. Shaw declares that he learned his trade by the expenditure of blood, sweat and tears, and he feels blessed and ap-preciates his team sticking with him through the years. He also likes being able to make a difference in the lives of the people who work for him. “I like helping individuals in the pur-suit of an electrical career,” he says. “I en-joy the challenges of a changing industry with more emphasis on technology. This also spurs interest from younger people

and helps me convince them that the electrical industry is a good career choice.” At its most, in 2013, Mustang had 30 employees, and currently, there are 28. Mustang’s workload is 30 percent com-mercial, 1 percent residential, and 24 per-cent industrial, service and special proj-ects. Keeping the business very diverse, Shaw takes a special interest in first-of-a-kind, unique jobs, which is what he refers to as “special projects.” “I am constantly improving my pro-cesses and learning from my peers in the industry,” he says. “I am able to continue learning new things and new processes. I enjoy meeting new people and especially enjoy servicing my existing customers honestly and to the best of my ability.” –mh

Bill Shaw, president of Mustang Colt Services, established the company 10 years ago.


What is your mostannoying habit?

Winter is still comingConstruction News ON LOCATION

With a lot of big jobs in the works, Eloy Alfaro, left, branch manager for the HD Supply/White Cap Construction Supply on Factory Hill Street, points to the weather

this winter as one of the biggest challenges to local construction recently. –mh

I cannot sit still. I’m just going, going, go-ing, going, going, and people get an-noyed with that. If you sit down to watch a movie, and I’m like, I have to go do this, I have to go do that. I just can’t sit still, and people find that annoying. I think it’s a good trait. I get annoyed with it some-times, like in the evenings when I want to sit down and relax, but I’m just always go-ing.

Lindsey Sutherland, G.D. Interiors

It takes me too long to tell a story, and I got that from my dad.Barb Hrbek, Hart Acoustical & Drywall

Probably being too loud, I would think. When I’m on the phone, the girls outside of my office often give me a hard time about that.

Shane Harrell, Catamount Construc-tors

My wife would say snoring. I’m going to work on that [laughs].

Blake Stephens, GPS of Texas

I asked my husband, and his answer was sometimes I drive a little too fast.

Stacie Gray, Lone Star Lighting

[Other people] would say that I beep at everybody on the highways. With people the way they drive in San Antonio, I’m al-ways honking at them, and I guess I an-noy everybody in the car with me, but we’ve got the worst drivers in the world in San Antonio. I travel all over, but – I don’t know where they get their driver’s licenses. If anybody ever said something about Andrew, they would say he’s al-ways beeping at somebody on the road.

Andrew Hernandez Sr., Decorative Concrete Designs & Repairs

One of mine is that I’m always so busy. I know people want to talk to me about things – trying to make time for people and there’s just so much going on in a day. I wish I had more time. I have things going on all the time, and I know people want to sit down and talk to me, and I kind of put things off because of that. If an employee really wants to talk to me about something, I know it’s important, and I say, “We’ll talk about it today.” And then something comes up. And then the next day, something comes up. Being the sole owner, I’m involved in everything, so I try to make that time to accommodate everybody.

Michael Rivas, Valla Construction

Well, it doesn’t annoy me, but what an-noys other people about me would prob-ably be that I’m a little messy. In college, they called it the “Peter Pile,” because I would just throw my stuff down, and then my roommates would kind of gath-er. So, my wife does that too. I have a little basket where if I’m looking for something that I put somewhere and I can’t find it, it’s usually in the basket.

Peter Willcox,Willcox Metal Fabricators

I’m a pretty introspective person for the most part. So, I think probably not ex-pressing myself openly and freely. People wonder what I’m thinking a lot of the time.

Darrell Lehmann, Lehmann Engineer-ing

I think my fiancé would say that I can be overly sarcastic. I don’t think people dis-like it at first, but I think after a while, they’re telling me to shut up, pretty much.

Clarence “CJ” Gore Comfort-Air Engineering


Thunder roars back

A doctor in the house

After working together off and on at various companies for decades, Brian Evans and Craig King have

their own business together, Thunder Electric. When Evans was 16, he worked for a company by the same name, Thunder Electric, which was owned by King’s un-cle, Jerry. The two have been working to-gether at various electrical contracting companies ever since. Evans and King both worked at Cal-houn Electric, Todt Electric and Mon-temayor Electric, and both had their own electrical contracting companies at one time. Evans also worked for Tim Smoot Electric and Associates Electric. King also worked for Bexar Electric and IES Commercial. They finally seized the opportunity to go into business together when the company they were working for shut down its residential department. Since 2007, Evans, president, and King, vice president, both owners, have been doing installation and service work

that is mainly residential, including re-models, and light commercial, such as lease spaces. In their spare time, both Evans and King enjoy hunting and fishing. Evans has a 1935 Ford Street Ride he built over the years, and he displays it at car shows ev-ery once in a while. King started on his path to the elec-trical trade in his junior and senior years of high school in a vocational program, and that’s what he has been doing ever since. Between working for King’s uncle and working with King again at Calhoun Electric in 1970, Evans served three years in the Army. Evans was born in Australia during World War II at a time when his father was a prisoner of war. His mother is “full-blooded Australian,” he says, noting that he left when he was 2 years old, and once his father was released, they returned to the U.S. and traveled all over the country and then overseas. –mh

L-R: Craig King and Brian Evans started Thunder Electric, named for the company King’s uncle owned where Evans got his first electrical job 45 years ago.

When John Irwin started Traver-tine Doctors a little over 10 years ago, he had already been

doing repairs and resurfacing of stone floors part-time with his first company Diamond Tile & More on West Avenue. In 2004, when he started doing it full-time, he didn’t think there was enough work to conduct a business and stay busy; however, by 2008, Travertine Doctors was keeping him so busy that it became their only business, and he start-ed focusing entirely on restoration. “A long time ago, we were actually the only people in San Antonio that sold people travertine,” says Irwin, who has been in the stone business for 22 years. “We honed it, polished it and sealed it, and in knowing how to hone and polish and resurface marble floors, we started fixing cracks and pits and bulldozing staircases where the edges were chipped, doing it by hand on the jobsite, like you’d do in a fabrication shop, and just devel-

oped the process that we’ve got in the field.” Irwin notes that he chose travertine for the company name, because as sellers of floors and countertops, he has known travertine to outsell marble consistently in South Texas for about 20 years. He ex-plains that travertine is sedimentary rock, often mistaken for being a type of mar-ble. One example of travertine and Ir-win’s work is the courthouse in San An-gelo. Though the name represents a key aspect of his expertise, Irwin notes that they do work on all natural stone. While Travertine Doctors has done retail work, they mostly focus on larger homes, 5,000sf and up. They do a lot of work for customers they sold stone to years ago, including polishing out spilled wine for an existing client at no charge. Though he never intended to stay in the business when he got in at 18, Irwin cred-its his passion for stone as the reason he’s still in it today. –mh

John Irwin, president of Travertine Doctors, and his wife, Lisa, who handles advertisingand bookkeeping for the company.

Engineers of reliefSubmitted to Construction News

Vickrey & Associates, consulting engineers and surveyors, joined the city’s Transportation and Capital Improvements (TCI) group at a groundbreaking ceremony for the extension of Hardy Oak Boulevard. Vickrey is the civil engineer of record for the

project that will provide a connection and relieve traffic in Stone Oak. –mh


Invisible exclusions, part IIIThe new (04 13) additionalinsured endorsementsCharles E. Comiskey, Sr. V.P.Brady, Chapman, Holland & Associates, inc.Houston, TX

There are three potentially significant issues with the new (effective April 2013) additional insured en-

dorsements. The new endorsements (1) exclude the sole negligence of the additional insured party, (2) po-

tentially limit the amount of recovery, and (3) according to some insurance companies and their agents and brokers, are required to be used in place of the older, broader-in-scope additional insured endorsements.

#1. The Sole Negligence Problem The ISO CG 20 10 endorsement pro-vides coverage for on-going exposures only. No coverage is provided for com-pleted operations. The ISO CG 20 10 04 13 states that coverage is provided to the additional in-sured “only with respect to liability … caused, in whole or in part, by:1. [insured’s] acts or omission ; or2.. he acts or omissions of those acting on [insured’s] behalf in the performance of on-going operations.” Sole negligence of the additional in-sured would not be “caused, in whole or in part by” the downstream named in-sured, hence coverage is no longer pro-vided for the additional insured’s sole negligence. The ISO CG 20 37 endorsement pro-vides coverage to the additional insured for completed operations exposures. As with the CG 20 10, the CG 20 37 10 01 in-cludes coverage for the sole negligence of the additional insured, and the CG 20 37 04 13 excludes the additional insured’s sole negligence. If additional insured status including coverage for the sole negligence of the upstream party is needed, use of the fol-lowing wording is recommended: Addi-tional insured status shall be provided in favor of [Upstream Parties] on a combina-tion of ISO forms CG 20 10 10 01 and CG 20 37 10 01.#2. The Amount of Recovery Problem The April 2013 endorsements in-clude three new provisions:

1. The insurance afforded to such addi-tional insured only applied to the extent permitted by law; and2. If coverage provided to the addition-al insured is required by a contract or agreement, the insurance afforded to such additional insured will not be broad-er than that which [the named insured is] required by the contract or agreement to provide for such additional insured; and3. If coverage provided to the addition-al insured is required by a contract or agreement, the most we will pay on be-half of the additional insured is the amount of insurance: Required by the

contract or agreement; or available un-der the applicable Limits of Insurance shown in the Declarations; whichever is less. The first change is inserted to permit the additional insured endorsement to apply to the many various state laws af-fecting the provision of this coverage. The second change is clearly intend-ed to make the agreement the control-ling document with regard to the intend-ed scope of coverage (i.e., for what expo-sures coverage is granted). The third change is problematic as it can limit the amount of coverage pro-vided, depending on how the construc-tion agreement was drafted. And keep in mind that these same terms are being incorporated into many excess liability policies as well as the primary general li-ability policies. If you are a downstream contractor (i.e., a subcontractor or a sub-sub), the more limiting wording works to your benefit. If you are an owner or upstream contractor, the broader wording works to your benefit.#3. The “Required to Use” Problem The April 2013 editions of CGL addi-tional insured endorsements are now in common use, and many insurance com-panies are firmly stating that they must be used and the older endorsements providing broader coverage are no lon-ger permissible. This statement may be true within a particular insurance com-pany, but is absolutely not true within the insurance industry. The CG 20 10 10 01 and CG 20 37 10 01 additional insured endorsements re-main readily available to qualified con-tractors. New, small or residential con-tractors, or contractors with insurance agents or brokers that cannot access qualified insurance carriers, will likely not be able to get them.Charles E. Comiskey, CPCU, CIC, CPIA, CRM, PWCA, CRIS, CCM, is Sr. V.P. of Brady Chap-man Holland & Assoc. and is National Chairman of the Construction Insurance Practice Group of RiskProNet International, the 5th largest brokerage organization in the U.S. He can be contacted at 713.979.9706 or [email protected].

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Use JPM to trackproductivity during jobsLane Gorman Trubitt PLLCDallas, TX

Poor productivity can spell disaster for a construction project. Unfortunately,

traditional measures of productivity are applied after the fact, so they do little to help contractors spot issues during a job — while there’s still time to do some-thing about it. To help contractors monitor produc-tivity during jobs, ASTM International (formerly, the American Society for Test-ing and Materials) developed its Job Pro-ductivity Measurement (JPM) standard. Adopted in 2010, the standard enables contractors to measure productivity throughout a job and address productiv-ity issues as they arise. It also alerts con-tractors to changes in productivity rates, serving as an “early warning system” for potential productivity problems down the road.

Output vs. outcomesRather than focus on output — such as the amount of concrete poured — JPM looks at outcomes. Output measures the amount of effort expended or materials installed, with little regard for the quality of the results. It obscures unproductive activities, such as repairs, rework or out-of-sequence work. JPM, on the other hand, analyzes work performed relative to actual con-struction put in place — that is, work product that’s acceptable to the custom-er. By measuring outcomes based on the transfer of value to the customer, JPM of-fers a more accurate picture of productiv-ity in terms of actual progress toward contract completion. It also provides a more reliable meth-od of measuring percentage of comple-tion. By tying it to construction put in place, JPM allows a contractor to make progress billings based on value provid-ed, regardless of the amount of cost in-curred, which can improve cash flow. This method tracks nicely with upcoming changes to accounting rules,

which tie revenue recognition to the completion of performance obligations.

Putting systems in place To make JPM work, you must have systems in place to measure, in ASTM In-ternational’s words, “observed comple-tion of the project as accepted by the customer.” You need to break down the contract into tasks, assign cost codes to each task and create a budget that as-signs labor hours to each activity that contributes to the finished product. In addition, when relying on regular reports from workers in the field, you must track the observed percentage of completion for all activities (typically, weekly). Then, you need to compare those results against the actual hours de-voted to each activity. Errors, repairs, rework and inefficient processes hurt a construction company’s productivity. Rather than discover these issues in a “postmortem,” consider im-plementing JPM. By providing ongoing feedback on problems that hurt produc-tivity, it gives you an opportunity to cor-rect problems during the course of a job — enhancing your performance, cash flow, and ultimately, your profitability.

About Lane Gorman Trubitt, PLLCFounded in 1950, Lane Gorman Trubitt, PLLC (LGT) is one of the largest certified public accounting firms headquartered in the Southwest. Dedicated to serving the middle market, the firm represents a broad range of clients, from individuals to public companies, in a variety of industries. LGT offers traditional accounting, audit and tax services, as well as various other special-ized services. In an effort to expand the ser-vices provided to valued clients, LGT has launched three affiliated companies, LGT Financial Advisors, LLC, LGT Insurance Ser-vices Inc. and LGT Retirement Plan Solu-tions. To learn more, visit http://www.lgt-cpa.com.

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Lab technicianConstruction News ON LOCATION

Marc Davis, a technician for Braun Intertec, did some work splitting aggregate in one of the laboratories at the company’s new branch. –mh

Trenching andexcavation safetyJoann NatarajanCompliance Assistance SpecialistOSHAAustin, TX

Two workers are killed every month in trench collapses. The employer must

provide a workplace free of recognized hazards that may cause serious injury or death. The employer must comply with the trenching and excavation require-ments of 29 CFR 1926.651 and 1926.652. An excavation is any man-made cut, cavity, trench, or depression in an earth surface formed by earth removal. Trench (Trench excavation) means a narrow ex-cavation (in relation to its length) made below the surface of the ground. In gen-eral, the depth is greater than the width, but the width of a trench (measured at the bottom) is not greater than 15 feet (4.6 meters).

General Trenching and Excavation Rules:

• Keep heavy equipment away from trench edges.• Identify other sources that might affect trench stability.• Keep excavated soil (spoils) and other materials at least 2 feet (0.6 meters) from trench edges.• Know where underground utilities are located before digging. In Texas, dial 811 to request utility location at least two business days prior to digging. • Test for atmospheric hazards such as low oxygen, hazardous fumes and toxic gases when greater than 4 feet deep.• Inspect trenches at the start of each shift.• Inspect trenches following a rainstorm or other water intrusion.• Do not work under suspended or raised loads and materials.

• Inspect trenches after any occurrence that could have changed conditions in the trench.• Ensure that personnel wear high visibil-ity or other suitable clothing when ex-posed to vehicular traffic.

Protective Systems:

There are different types of protec-tive systems. Benching means a method of protecting workers from cave-ins by excavating the sides of an excavation to form one or a series of horizontal levels or steps, usually with vertical or near verti-cal surfaces between levels. Benching cannot be done in Type C soil. Sloping involves cutting back the trench wall at an angle inclined away from the excava-tion. Shoring requires installing alumi-num hydraulic or other types of supports to prevent soil movement and cave-ins. Shielding protects workers by using trench boxes or other types of supports to prevent soil cave-ins. Designing a pro-tective system can be complex because you must consider many factors: soil clas-sification, depth of cut, water content of soil, changes caused by weather or cli-mate, surcharge loads (e.g., spoil, other materials to be used in the trench) and other operations in the vicinity.

For more information:http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/trenchingex-cavation/index.htmlhttp://www.texas811.org

[email protected] x232

Employers use noncompetition & nonsolicitation agreements to limit poaching of key employeesShelly Masters, PrincipalCokinos Bosien & YoungAustin, TX

Between the demands of the surging construction market and the increasing scarcity of construction

labor in the Texas workforce, employers face a heightened risk of losing key employ-ees to poaching by competitors. Because key employee retention is critical to the overall success of a company, a growing number of employers are seeking ways in which to keep key employees satisfied, limit lateral movement and prevent others from hiring away talented workers. Thanks to recent Texas Supreme Court rulings, well-drafted noncompetition and nonsolicitation agreements offer a viable form of relief for employers.

Noncompetition and nonsolicitation agreements are not synonymous. Non-competition agreements aim to prevent an employee from working for another employer in a competing business while nonsolicitation agreements preclude so-licitation of another in some form or fash-ion (e.g., by preventing a departing em-ployee from calling on the employer’s customers or clients or preventing an-other company from soliciting the em-ployer’s workforce). Nonsolicitation agreements may also be used by a com-pany to prevent another company with whom it has entered into a contractual relationship (such as a general contractor or subcontractor) from soliciting its em-ployees. Covenants not to compete and so-licit are governed by Section 15.50 – 15.52 of the Texas Business and Commerce Code. By statute, a covenant is enforce-able if: (i) it is ancillary to or part of an oth-erwise enforceable agreement at the time the agreement is made; (ii) it contains reasonable limitations as to time, geo-graphic area, and (iii) the scope of activi-ty restrained does not impose a greater restraint than necessary to protect the goodwill or other business interest of the employer. If the primary purpose of the agreement to which the covenant is an-cillary is found in an employment con-tract, the employer has the burden of es-tablishing that the covenant meets the statutory criteria. Prior to recent Court opinions, the judiciary frequently found noncompeti-tion agreements to be an unreasonable restraint on trade. Texas courts enforced only narrowly tailored noncompetition agreements. Under prior law, employers were often unsuccessful in obtaining in-junctive or other relief against the em-ployee. The Texas Supreme Court has made it easier for employers seeking to restrict key employees from competing post-employment. Now, trade secret informa-tion and specialized training are not the

exclusive forms of employer-generated consideration necessary to enforce non-competition and non-solicitation agree-ments. These opinions have recently been extended to contracts with inde-pendent contractors as well. The key to enforcement now is that these types of provisions must be rea-sonable and not impose a greater re-straint than necessary to protect the em-ployer’s interest. The provisions must state a duration of time, geographical area to be limited, and scope of activity to be restrained. Courts have generally held reasonable geographic restrictions include the territory in which the em-ployee worked and performed services for the employer, the area in which the employer does business, the physical lo-cation of the employer’s customer or cli-ents, etc. The shorter the time period, the more likely the covenant will be en-forced. If the provisions are indefinite or without appropriate limitations, a Court will likely find them unreasonable and unenforceable. Because Texas has become more fa-vorable to employers than it has been in the last two decades, employers should audit existing and prospective employ-ment agreements, incentive plans, prime contracts and subcontracts to determine whether to incorporate covenants not to compete, solicit or hire employees and/or customers and other provisions to pro-tect confidential information and trade secrets. Poorly drafted provisions can lead to unwanted surprises for employ-ers who wrongfully believe they are rely-ing on solid agreements with enforce-able language. Shelly Masters is a Principal in the Aus-tin office of Cokinos Bosien & Young. She represents clients in the areas of construc-tion, labor and employment, commercial and products liability law. Cokinos Bosien & Young has been representing the con-struction industry for over 25 years. She can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at (512) 615-1139.

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10843 Gulfdale San Antonio, TX 78216210-829-1793

Serving the construction industry for over 28 years

Three years ago, Stacie Gray took over Lone Star Lighting as presi-dent, and since then, she has been

helping to run the business her husband, Al “Skeeter” Gray and Ken Flory start-ed in 1991. Gray originally came to work for the company in 1997. Unfortunately, nine years after the company was founded, Flory passed away. After that, Gray stepped up from her sales position at Lone Star to a more managerial role. She recalls that it was a challenge at first, but it’s one she overcame “just by doing it.” Her husband, who has a degree in history, was in the marketing training program with a major manufacturer where he learned the lighting sciences. He has been working in the lighting in-dustry since the mid-1980s. Stacie gradu-ated from the University of Colorado with a degree in architectural engineering in 1980, subsequently working in the light-ing or electrical engineering part of the business. Since college, she has been in-

She lights up your life

volved in the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES). Lone Star sells lighting and control products, representing more than 80 dif-ferent manufacturers. Most of those products are for commercial, institutional and industrial lighting. The residential market accounts for around 10 percent of Lone Star’s business. In its portfolio history, Lone Star has done a majority of lighting on the AT&T Center, a major addition at USAA, several Alamo Community College District (ACCD) projects at different campuses, work at UTSA and Port of Corpus Christi, and Lone Star recently completed a job on a new Silo restaurant. Gray notes that she and her husband run the business together. He travels a lot in their territory, which includes Corpus Christi and Laredo. They have two grown sons, one of whom is in the Marine Corps and the other is attending the University of Colorado. –mh

L-R: Sean Stellato, project manager; Stacie Gray, president; Chris Stellato, quotations

Changes in market temperature

Clarence “CJ” GoreFabrication Shop ForemanComfort-Air Engineering

Industry FOLKS

Clarence Gore, better known as CJ, just celebrated 14 years working at

Comfort-Air Engineering on Feb. 12. Soon after graduating from Madison High School, Gore started at the com-pany as a delivery driver, driving parts to jobs. In time, he moved into the sheet metal shop, and today, at 33, he runs the whole fabrication department. Gore cites the people as the reason he has stayed with the company for his entire career. He observes that every-one is like family, and while there are ups and downs, everyone works to-gether and cares about each other. He is also very grateful that Comfort-Air has allowed him to pursue his love of music, allowing him to take time off to hit the road and play shows. Gore is a drum-mer, and about five years ago, he recalls he was playing about 25 dates a month. “I started playing guitar when I was really young, I think in middle school,” says Gore. “In my family on my dad’s side, everybody plays music. So, I started playing guitar, and it was fun, but once I got a hold of a pair of drum-sticks in eighth or ninth grade, I couldn’t stop. I just wanted to play ev-ery second of every day.” Right now, he plays with the Jeff Jacobs Band, but he will play with groups when they need a fill-in drum-mer. He has played all over the south-east. He’s played in Austin a lot, Hous-ton, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and a lot of little towns with one venue on their way to a bigger show. Though his current band doesn’t have any upcom-

ing gigs, they’re spending their time in the studio recording their second al-bum. Though the first was self-pro-duced, this one, “Livin’ Life Free,” is be-ing professionally produced and will be released in approximately three to four months and available on iTunes. Music isn’t Gore’s only interest; a while back he and two partners had a production company and website called 5Live. He describes the site as in-vestigative journalism, fairly similar to Vice.com. One of his partners in the en-deavor was the editor and Gore wrote for the site and handled its marketing. He recalls that one article went viral with about 50,000 shares across social media. In the end, the three of them decided that the website wasn’t sus-tainable, and the venture lasted about a year. Now, Gore is trying to venture into the world of craft beer. He has been doing a lot of craft beer tasting as op-posed to just drinking. He’s even in-terning one to two days at a time with various craft breweries, learning the actual science of how to brew. For exercise, Gore enjoys running and doing 5Ks. He has a puppy and is engaged to Analisa Farias with the date set for Oct. 17 of this year. –mh

Business changes, like the seasons, fluctuate with the needs of the mar-kets served by a supplier. In the case

of Century A/C Supply on Wetmore Road, Charlie Gallagher, branch manager, ob-serves that their business has experienced a couple of shifts in the last few years. Gallagher started at Century in 1987, soon after the branch opened, as a deliv-ery driver and worked all aspects of the business through the years, from counter to outside sales, eventually ascending to his current position around 2004. About two years ago, he noticed that contractors were coming in who were working to get air conditioning into the camps in the South Texas area. With few hotels or options for living accommoda-tions in the Eagle Ford Shale, the employ-ees working in the oil field were staying in camps that needed AC. With the oil industry boosting busi-ness, the branch experienced another boon when they acquired the York brand

air conditioning equipment late last year. Though Century sells commercial and residential HVAC products, the branch has not had a line that is heavy on com-mercial equipment before, and securing York’s products has really put their com-mercial sales on the rise in the last four or five months. One of two stores in San Antonio, the branch on Wetmore has seven employ-ees and is about the average size for a branch of the Century Companies, which has its corporate office in Houston. Gal-lagher believes that he couldn’t ask for a nicer owner to work for in founder and CEO Dennis Bearden. When he’s not helping contractors get cool, he’s heating them up with bar-becue at any event he can get to, includ-ing ACCA and PHCC events and the ro-deos in San Antonio and Houston. He’s even taken his barbecue on the road to the American Royal Rodeo in Kansas City. –mh

Charlie Gallagher, branch manager of the Century A/C Supply on Wetmore Road, says that York’s air conditioning line has opened up the branch’s customer base.


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Fifty years ago, John Marshall got into the fuel business. Three years later, he started Marshall Distribut-

ing Co. in Seguin. In the late ‘80s, the company moved to San Antonio to ex-pand its territory and add new services and suppliers. John’s sons, Brent and Mark Marshall, bought their father out in the early ‘90s and the company has been under their leadership ever since. As a fuel supplier, Marshall performs construction onsite fueling services for equipment or service trucks at the jobsite or in the yard. Brent explains that this service is “great for reducing or eliminating labor cost and increasing production profit.” He adds, “Our professionally trained employ-ees can come on regularly scheduled route or fuel equipment during off-use hours or shift changes allowing your man-power and equipment to be ready to go.” The Marshall brothers practically grew up in the company, and today, they have 64 years of combined experience. The company has always provided fuel products, services, tanks and equipment to commercial business, retail, govern-ment, farm and ranch, auto dealers, schools, marinas, and of course, construc-tion. “The construction industry runs a lot of equipment to get their job done and that equipment needs fuel to run,” states

Fueling up for work

Brent. “We provide fast friendly solutions. Fuel is one of the biggest expense items our customers incur and we take great pride in saving them money or time or worry when it comes to their fuel needs. In recent months, the fuel prices have dropped considerably, and we are glad to see that for our customer operating bud-gets.” Marshall’s services focus on supply-ing gasoline and diesel products through direct delivery, wet hosing, fuel fleet card, and tank and equipment packages for permanent or temporary jobsites. –mh

L-R: Brothers Brent and Mark Marshall provide members of the construction industrywith the fuel they need out in the field.

Some Xtreme equipmentConstruction News ON LOCATION

L-R: At Ahern Rentals, Izzy Uriegas, Hector Salazar Jr. and Jesus Apolinar have forklifts to the extreme – Xtreme forklifts by Xtreme Manufacturing, that is. The equipment rental

company and Xtreme have the same owner, Don Ahern. –mh

We heard it through the pipe lineConstruction News ON LOCATION

L-R: Jerry Flores; Adam Rylas, warehouse supervisor; Jennifer Lee; Bill Lawrence; and Matt Martinez have a lot of work coming down the pipe. All-Tex Pipe & Supply is

currently working on the convention center and the Frost Bank project, as well as jobs in high schools and in Boerne. –mh

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On Jan. 30, the Friday before the Su-per Bowl, Luna Architecture + Design held its own event – the

inaugural Luna Bowl Chili Cook-Off. The event, which Luna intends to do every year, even had guest “celebrity” judges, including Tom Guido, Guido Construc-tion; Christina Taylor, H2MG; David Ash, D ASH Construction Management; Nick Holscher, Kimley Horn; Robert Saunders, NeoM; Craig Martinez, Vick-rey Associates; and Matt Hoffer, Lehm-an Engineering. –mh

WinnersGrand Champion: Ozy Martinez2nd: Jose Yanez3rd: Charli Valadez

Serving up a super bowl

The first place winner took homea super Luna “bowl.”

After 20 years, Luna Architecture + Design hosted its first ever chili cook-off.

Although Andrew Hernandez Sr. started Decorative Concrete De-signs & Repairs about 10 years

ago, he has 28 years of experience in dec-orative concrete work and a combined 42 years of experience in the concrete busi-ness. At 54, Hernandez has done every-thing in concrete, but he believes decora-tive was his calling. He enjoyed the pro-cess of coloring concrete, and he recalls that 20 years ago, he couldn’t give a stamped job away. As the specialty evolved, he notes the industry has grown more and more interesting. His jobs include an entryway with a carpet layout that included a vine and leaves as part of the design and a repair to the asphalt in downtown San Antonio where he poured black concrete that matched the asphalt when it dried. His “trophy job” was a repair at the San Antonio International Airport Air Traffic Control Tower years ago when the extension was added to the offices at the

A cure for boring concrete

base. The tilt wall had a granite banner on it, and when the panels were raised, all the granite fell off. He’s proud to say that though other companies were con-sulted about the problem, he came up with a system to fix the issue within 30 minutes. Eager to teach others, he does con-sulting and training on the job, traveling to show people how to stain, overlay or stamp concrete. To keep himself current on the newest techniques and the cut-ting edge of the industry, he has been at-tending the World of Concrete confer-ence in Las Vegas whenever possible since 1989. Originally from Chicago, Hernandez came to San Antonio in 1982 to join fam-ily here. His grandfather and uncles did concrete work, and now his two sons, An-drew Jr. and Anthony, do decorative con-crete with Andrew Jr.’s own company. Hernandez says that they could be called competitors, but he doesn’t see it that way. –mh

After working in concrete for decades, Andrew Hernandez Sr. foundhis specialty calling in decorative concrete.


BAFFIN BAY –– LAGUNA MADRE –– LAND CUTSPECKLED TROUT –– REDFISH –– FLOUN DER

FISHING AND HUNTING TRIPS

STEVE SCHULTZ OUTDOORS, LLC

(361) 813-3716(361) 334-3105

www.baffi [email protected]

U.S. Coast Guard &Texas Parks and Wildlife Licensed

Everyone knows that the Great Out-doors section of Construction News is the perfect place to claim your

bragging rights from a successful hunt or fishing trip, but did you know that we also welcome photos of live animals? Last month in Great Outdoors, we featured Gary Weaver, Timber Tech Texas, visiting the mountain gorillas of Uganda. We’ve also featured photos of wildlife taken locally, such as deer grazing in the backyard. Whether you’re on a hike or on vaca-tion, or even on your own ranch or patio, we invite you to send photos of creatures great and small.

Making a live appearance

Here’s Dean, my three-legged dog, chill-ing in the sun after a brief romp in the surf at Corpus Christi beach on a sunny summer afternoon.

If you have a photo of your pet out and about with you that you would like to share in the paper, please send it to us. We love animals, and we know that so many of our readers have animal com-panions of all kinds and sizes. –mh

Call Mary at 210-308-5800 or send to:[email protected]

For example, here’s a squirrel who came by to inspect my wilted poinsettia (be-fore my dog chased him away).

Spring outlookis promisingby Capt. Steve Schultz

Sponsored by:Premier Yamaha Boating Center, Majek Boats, E-Z

Bel Construction, Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor, Aggregate Haulers, Interstate Batteries, Simms Products,

Pure Fishing, Mirr-O-Lure, ForEverlast Hunting and Fishing Products and Columbia Sportswear.

For the last several months I’ve been fishing with my fingers crossed, not so much for the fishing luck but for what our water conditions have been. So

far this year the waters of the Upper Laguna Madre (ULM) and Baffin Bay Complex have been in great shape and free of any algae blooms, even with the extreme low tides we had during February. I hope I’m not speak-ing too soon, but just maybe the winter rains we had will be enough to keep our bays clear through the spring and summer months.

As we enter into March, we start seeing the early stages of our spring weather patterns. Hopefully, cold fronts will just be a change in our wind directions and a slight atmospheric temperature change. Surface bait activity should be more present as our water temperatures should be steadily rising and nearing the 70-degree mark. I guess it’s time to break out the topwater lures and get ready for some explosive surface action. There

Cameron Zelnik (5) of Katy, TX caught this sheephead on his cast last month during an outing with Capt. Steve Schultz. As

you can tell from the picture, he was one proud angler.

are several pointers I will give you to help you be a bet-ter angler when throwing surface plugs. Not every game fish can be raised with a popping plug, of course, but most can’t resist the temptation to blast what ap-pears to be a helpless meal - even if they have no idea just what it is. That even applies to fish that aren’t hun-gry. Presentation is key when working surface baits. On calm mornings I tend to use smaller baits than I would if it was windy. Work the bait with a side to side action and a slow retrieve with frequent pauses. On winder days move up to a larger plug such as a Top Dog or She Dog and be a little more aggressive with your retrieve and less frequent stops or perhaps none at all. Try different retrieves of rhythm to find what works best on that giv-en day. Another tip that will be very useful when fishing surface baits, is to not try and set the hook to quickly when you see the fish hit the lure. Lots of times they will miss or short strike on the first pass only to come back and hit it again. Once you find the tempo your target fish wants, it could make for some explosive action. Also, those who say top water lures only work in early mornings and late evenings, have obviously never given them a solid effort during mid-day wades.

In the product section this month while we are on the subject of top water baits, I would recommend using the line of baits produced by MirrOlure. They offer one of the largest selection of floating and slow sinking bait in the industry. Top Dogs and She Dogs both come in sev-eral sizes to meet all fishing conditions along with Catch 2000, Catch 5 and MirrOdine lures. All these lures come in an assortment of colors and patterns which are as-sured to catch fish. Look them up on the web at www.shopmirrolure.com or your nearest tackle retailer.

To schedule your next bay fishing trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-813-3716 or 361-334-3105 or e-mail him at [email protected]. Still have several days open in March although summer is filling up quick. Good luck and Good Fishing.


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

Spring is almost upon us and the weather is getting nice. The water is getting warmer and the fish are

starting to stir. March is my favorite month of the year to fish; you really don’t know what you will catch with each cast. This is because the warmest water is in the shallows and this is where the baitfish will be along with multiple species start-ing to spawn. Largemouth and crappie are finally moving back into the shallows and this is a great time to take the kids fishing. How many of you have memories of going fishing with your dad or granddad sitting on the bank with a cane pole catching perch or crappie? Those memories very likely took place during the spring or ear-ly summer, during this pattern. The best part about spring fishing is that you don’t need a boat; all you need is a hook, some bait, and some water. Rather it is a pond in your subdivision or Lake Buchanan there is a good chance that you can catch something and create memories in the process. Spring is also the time of year when you can catch some trophy sized blue catfish. I can remember one trip I had some years ago when we were fishing shallow with big baits looking for big spawning female stripers and we found one. As I started to turn the boat to chase down the big fish another rod bent over and started screaming out drag, I thought oh boy we have two big stripers and was getting ready for the rodeo. We contin-ued to chase down and land the first fish, an 18 pound striper, and then we turned and started after the second fish. We could see it throwing a wake 100 feet off of the side of the boat, our adrenaline was pumping because we knew it had to be a potential lake record striper, and

then all of a sudden I thought I saw it roll-ing. Well stripers don’t roll and I knew we had a catfish that we all would remember for the rest of our lives. After about twen-ty minutes we finally landed a 48 pound blue cat. It just goes to show you even the guys that do it for living can make new memories this time of year. On your next day off grab your fish-ing gear, or call your favorite guide. Load up the kiddos, a friend, or a neighbor and go make some memories. I see stories ev-eryday where some lucky fisherman catches a fish of a lifetime, and many times it is caught in a place where the people that “know” what they are doing would never suspect a fish like that to be lurking. If nothing else you will have spent some quality time with good com-pany enjoy a beautiful spring day in the great outdoors.

Max Milam (son of Ken Milam) has been running fishing trips for several years at Lake Buchanan. Max is a graudate of Texas A & M, with a degree recreation, parks and tourism.

Spring fishingby Max Milam


Snow escapeSubmitted to Construction News

Members of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) San Antonio Chapter hit the slopes for the annual ski trip to Steamboat Springs, CO Jan. 29-Feb. 2. The long

weekend included continuing education classes and plenty of opportunities for fun on and off the slopes. –mh

Candace Wilhelm, 19-year-old daughter of Gary Wilhelm, owner and president of Mesquite Interiors and Sandi Wilhelm, vice president, works part-time at her parents’

company, and she shot this 10-point buck on the family ranch near Floresville. –mh

A buck on the home rangeSubmitted to Construction News

Sometimes, your San Antonio editor for Construction News – that’s me, Mary Hazlett – has the urge to hit

the road and explore. In that spirit, my newlywed husband, David, and I went on a weekend road trip through New Mexi-co. The Land of Enchantment did not

Gone west

disappoint. We sledded down the pris-tine dunes of White Sands National Mon-ument, stood in the shadow of a lava flow frozen in time in the Valley of Fires, followed the Rio Grande through the mountains from Santa Fe to Taos, and stopped in Roswell for a close encounter of the nerd kind. –mh

David and Mary Hazlett found peace and beauty in White Sands National Monument, their favorite stop along a road trip through

New Mexico.

Found: proof of alien life!

Yes, that is the world’s largest pistachio.

A girl and her giltSubmitted to Construction News

Lexy Thornton, niece of Cherie Foerster, executive director of the Builders’ Exchange of Texas, won first place in her class with Marley, her Duroc gilt, at the San Antonio Stock Show.

Standing with Lexy are her parents, Tim and Kim Thorton, who is Foerster’s sister. –mh

Our purpose for this event is to create a Scholarship Fund for students study-ing Marine Biology at Corpus Christi A&M University and to practice fi sh conservation setting a standard for fu-ture tournaments. And, most of all, to be safe on the water and have fun.

Hosted by

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Mr & Mrs. BigTrout ScholarshipTournamentApril 30to May2Ladies Fish May 1Men Fish May 2

Contact: Doug 210-213-8289 Cindy 210-385-9195 Pattie 210-885-8593

See MrBigTrout.com for more details


Every weekday morning before going into work at Raba Kistner Consul-tants, Inc. (RKCI), Frank Martinez,

supervisor for the Construction Materials Engineering and Testing department, goes to SAMMinistries’ Transitional Living and Learning Center at 5 a.m. to make sure 40 homeless families have breakfast and sack lunches for their children. This effort to provide food to the homeless began with Martinez’s brother, Joe Othon, and their fellow parishioner from Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Scott Thomas. Three years ago, when they got their foot in the door at SAMMinistries on Blanco Road, Martinez joined in the cause. Seeing a need and an opportunity to provide help and a service, they de-cided to get organized and formed basiC (brothers and sisters in Christ) Ministries, and Martinez was elected its president. In the three years since establishing basiC Ministries, they have gone from of-fering breakfast, consisting of tacos and sandwiches, one day a week, to offering breakfast, including pancakes, a variety of tacos and sandwiches, fruit, and sack lunches, Monday through Friday. They’ve gone from the original three founders to approximately 40 volunteers, including meal teams of five to seven volunteers that come in and cook everything on site at 5 a.m. “We see the results of our efforts,” says Martinez. “We see the people at breakfast. We see the kids pick up the sack lunches, and they’re very apprecia-tive of that. Something as simple as a bean and cheese taco just means a lot to these folks, because some of them don’t have the funds.” Others at Raba Kistner have joined in Martinez’s effort. Receptionist Pam Mora and her two sons are part of a meal team.

Katrina Conner, Martinez’s dispatcher at the firm, helped them develop their Face-book and website. Conner is just one of several volunteers who work behind the scenes because they cannot be there physically in the morning, but they can help with administration and marketing. Raba Kistner’s Andy Matelski brings his barbecue pit to basiC fundraisers, and field techs bring in old clothes for Marti-nez to take to the center. Martinez’s work with basiC led to SAMMinistries nominating him for an award from United Way last year. Up against three or four other big organiza-tions in San Antonio, Martinez took home the Volunteer of the Year Award in the faith-based category. Meanwhile, basiC is in the process of applying for 501 non-profit status. –mh

basiC humanity

Last year, Frank Martinez won United Way’s Volunteer of the Year in the Faith-Based

category for his work as president of basic Ministries.

To celebrate his award, Raba Kistner hosted an office reception for Frank Martinez, pictured here with reception guests Dr. Robert Costigan and Richard Kistner.

A sign of homeSubmitted to Construction News

A team of HOLT CAT employees helped install permanent building signage for Boysville in Converse. The project aimed to improve the aesthetic of the 78-acre campus that is home to children who are unable to live in their homes due to family disruption. HOLT CAT brought volunteer manpower and heavy equipment to plant the signs, which are

limestone with iron lettering. –mh

At the new office for IBTX Risk Services, Emmanuel Pineiro, Punchdown Telecommunications, which does infrastructure and network cabling, was helping them

get established by installing cat 5 cables for the data drops inside the walls. –mh

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When Dan Corrigan says he started from the ground up, one could take him very literal-

ly, because his company, C-3 Environ-mental Services, has all of its roots in groundwork. After graduating from high school, Corrigan got right out into the field, mov-ing from South Texas to Austin and going to work for an environmental company there. While working in Austin, he built up experience doing erosion control and re-vegetation projects. Ten years ago, when the company Corrigan worked for was traveling to San Antonio periodically as the Alamo City started on its upswing, he noticed a need for erosion control and other ground ser-vices in the San Antonio market. He start-ed C-3 to fill that void. Based in Schertz, C-3 is an erosion control company that does work in all markets, with residential new develop-ment accounting for about 70-percent of the workload. The company offers ser-

Ground control

vices that include retention and filtration ponds, stabilized retention walls, rock berms, hydro seeding, construction exits and tree protection as well as light con-crete work and concrete washouts. Corrigan notes that the cyclical mar-ket took some adjustment. So, as he con-servatively grew the company, he sought opportunities to diversify the business. That is how C-3 started doing land clear-ing and grinding. C-3 did a lot of work with Zachry on the Mission Reach, doing rock gabion structures, engineered wire baskets that are filled with rocks and used to hold back earthen structures. Another project that stands out for Corrigan was the large earthen reinforced walls, some 80 and 100 feet, which they built for the Sonoma Verde subdivision. At the office, Corrigan has 55 em-ployees he keeps busy with work. At home, he has a wife and three young kids who keep him busy with sports. –mh

Dan Corrigan, owner and president of C-3 Environmental Services, with his wife, Christin

Since IBTX Risk Services deals in risk and what’s best for a company and its people, the firm took a risk of its

own to the same ends, relocating from its office on Hausman Road to Suite 100 of the Union Square I building at 10101 Reunion Place. The new space is 10,981sf and will help accommodate IBTX’s expanding footprint in the Alamo City. In a growth mode for the last two years, the San An-tonio office has increased its staff by more than 25 percent with more than 50 employees and more to be added soon. “This move provides us an office identity that reflects our strong South Texas presence and accommodates our future growth plans as we continue to expand our insurance, employee bene-fits, bonding, risk management services and wealth management capabilities,” states Stephen Smith, IBTX president. “We are continuing to hire and grow our client base and our new office space will

Centrally relocated

allow us to continue to grow our enter-prise of services for our clients.” Bryan Moore, owner/partner in San Antonio, noted that moving so many people is not easy, but the benefit of hav-ing multiple locations is that the Dallas office picked up the service slack while the San Antonio office was down. Now, as the office gets settled, employees are enjoying amenities such as covered park-ing and a lunchroom downstairs that ser-vices the building. The office also has a kitchen now. “This is a smarter space than the oth-er one,” observes Moore. “It’s going to give us room for growth. It’s just a better space for us. It’s more cost effective for us, better layout, better location.” Now centrally located close to the airport, the firm is not only convenient to its San Antonio market but for IBTX team members flying between the Dallas and San Antonio offices. –mh

Bryan Moore, principal in San Antonio, stands outside the office buildingthat IBTX Risk Services now calls home.

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He nailed itConstruction News JOB SIGHT

For general contractor Helmke & Associates’ office remodel on Gatecrest, Manuel worked on the wood trim. –mh


A firm frameSalsa extravaganza

2nd Annual Citywide High SchoolConstruction Career Day

APRIL 8, 2015 9am - 2pmFreeman Expo Hall

1200 select San Antonio and surounding area high school students will attendto see equipment and skill demon-strations and visit with areacontractors and profes-sionals representingvarious trades andindustryprofessions.

Student Build C

ompetition

Hosted byBYF and TCCI

Sponsored byThe Builders Exchange

Education Council,Gibson Plumbing, Memco

Zachry Construction CorprationMarek Brothers, PHCC,

MCA-SMACNA, Beyer Boys, Moen

Exhibitor Space and volunteeropportunities still available!

For information callTexas Construction career Initiative (TCCI)

210-701-1893

Being a structural engineer, Darrell Lehmann probably had more pro-fessional insight on how to struc-

ture his firm, Lehmann Engineering, than he realized when he started out in 2003. “The engineering came naturally to me,” says Lehmann. “The hardest part was starting the business – making busi-ness decisions, marketing decisions, all the hats that you have to wear that aren’t actually the number crunching part of engineering.” Though Lehmann found the busi-ness side the most challenging part of striking out on his own, he seems to have applied some of his expertise to building a framework so that his firm could stand up with strong reinforcement in all the right places. His first hire was Cindy Delgado, and he charged her with the business management so that he could focus on engineering. His second hire was Juan Valdez, who was a CAD draftsman and is

now a graduate engineer still working for the firm. Soon, he hired Aaron Staas, a graduate engineer from Texas A&M who was licensed in 2009 and became a part-ner, buying into the firm in 2012. Today, he has 20 employees, among them three licensed engineers, two graduate engineers, a lot of CAD techs and several administrators. He notes, “My goal for the future is for this company to provide opportuni-ties for the people working for it, for them to be able to actualize their goals in engineering.” Lehmann’s firm has touched on ev-ery kind of project except for single-fam-ily residential. They have worked on the Scobee Challenger Learning Center at San Antonio College and at the San An-tonio Zoo, as well as working with land-scape architects on the San Antonio Riv-er Mission Reach. Also, the firm has part-nered with a client firm to offer AE ser-vices to the wireless communication in-dustry. –mh

Leaders at Lehmann L-R: Darrell Lehmann, Cindy Delgado, Aaron Staas

The Associated General Contractors (AGC) San Antonio Chapter spiced up this year’s 12th annual Salsa

Taste-Off Mixer Feb. 12 by bringing the event to the new headquarters of Joeris General Contractors, complete with a

1st Place: Terracon Consultants, Inc.

2nd Place: Allen & Allen Company

3rd Place and People’s Choice: San Marcos Air Conditioning

mariachi band. The turnout was tremen-dous with 28 companies participating, and 139 votes cast by attendees. –mh

Showmanship Award:Construction Leadership Forum (CLF)

Three men at workConstruction News JOB SIGHT

Greg Moore, I-Work; Chris Powell, superintendent for general contractor C2C Construction; and Michael Jones, I-Work were busy at the site of the new Family Dollar on Perrin Beitel. The project manager is Duane Shelton, and completion is

expected in April. –mh


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The U.S. Green Building Council-Central Texas Balcones Chapter announced its new board of directors for 2015-16. This year’s board includes second-year members Karen Bishop, SARA; Cliff Braddock, PEPCO Energy Services; Paul Brown, Bautex Systems; Pam Carpenter, 7th Generation Design; Brad Garner, Garner Development Services; Jane Baxter Lynn, JBL Strategies; and Marc Stroope, Gardner Law Firm; second-term members Mehmet Boz, AECom; Scott Gerhardt, CORE USA; and Michael Sweeney, Arup; and new members: Jim Brunson, Satterfield & Pontikes Construction; Bonny Gray, GSC Architects; Andy Kim, Austin Community College; Reed Sternberg, Texas Green Realtor; and Lisa Storer, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Sustainable Sites Initiative. Alternate board members are Andrew Clements, Texas Department of State Health Services; and Beth Guillot, Fuse Architecture Studio. –mh

Going green board

Though ColeBrack Enterprises was established as a general contractor, the company specializes in demoli-

tion. Ernest Coleman, vice president, notes that they do a lot of interior demo-lition – though they do exterior, too – and asbestos often gets in the way. So, deal-ing with that issue, the team also special-izes in asbestos and lead-based paint abatement. Along with Ernest, David Coleman is also a vice president, and Robert Bracken Jr. is president. All three leaders of the company have at least 25 years of experience in environmental remedia-tion and demolition. Their senior estima-tor, Gerry Alexander, has more than 30 years of experience in the same field. Al-exander feels the highlight of his job is being the successful bidder on a project, completing it, and turning a profit for the company. ColeBrack has done a little bit of ev-erything - from small houses to big hotels

Bringing down the house

and schools. They have worked under fixed price, cost plus and negotiated con-tracts. They’ve done projects ranging from $1,500 to $2.7 million, and they’ve performed abatements that were more than 1 million square feet. They also have extensive experience in government work as a both prime contractor and sub-contractor with more than 600 city, state and federal – as well as private – projects under their belts. With determination to continue its growth through diversification and cus-tomer service, the company also does new construction and remodeling, con-struction management and design build. They emphasize strict adherence to all EPA, OSHA, state and local regulations, stating that they have had no non-com-pliance regarding time completions or quality deficiencies. The company has also established their own standard op-erating format and quality assurance pro-gram. –mh

Based in Selma, the ColeBrack team has done a variety of work,but they have a soft spot for demolition.

Since Voges Drilling Co. does foun-dation piers, it’s not surprising that its leader, Jack McKinney, knew

how to keep his business standing on solid legs through the recent recession. When the downturn hit the company in 2008, Voges made the most of the op-portunities that came its way, including the transition from doing solely commer-cial projects to doing projects for TxDOT. McKinney says that with stimulus money coming into Central Texas, some bridge projects were released quickly, and in the City of San Antonio, a lot of work was be-ing done on the River Walk. “We took advantage of those oppor-tunities and kind of came out of the re-cession with a little firmer presence in the TxDOT arena, if you will,” comments McK-inney. “I would say probably at least half of our workload is in roads and bridges right now.” He says they learned to monitor the level of infrastructure building in the area – not only roads and bridges, but also schools and work for the Corps of Engi-neers, for example. He has also developed a better understanding of the relationship between public works and private works. He sees what he refers to as a “build it and they will come” pattern, where the state expends funds to develop infrastructure and private enterprise comes along to build onto that foundation. As work kicked up in the oil field, re-taining his employees was a priority. Real-izing that employees are an investment, McKinney kept his valued workers by stay-ing competitive and matching a large por-tion of their health insurance. For exam-ple, there was a big demand for crane op-erators in the oil field, and knowing this, Voges reviewed the compensation pack-ages with his four trained crane operators, making a commitment to them, and they made a commitment to stay with Voges, and McKinney didn’t lose anyone.

Adding that the recession afforded him opportunities to pick up more equip-ment and build the company up, McKin-ney says the economic slump ended for them when they started work on the new Amazon.com warehouse in Schertz in late 2012. Since then, Voges posted its best years to date in 2013 and 2014. Now, with a new group of owners and general contractors in the area, McK-inney has watched Voges’ market change, and he quotes Mike Tyson, saying that ev-erybody has a plan until they get punched in the face. “For a business owner, you have to understand that a plan is going to change and that the trick is, especially with an event like a recession, to understand why it changes,” he says. “Accept the fact that it’s going to change, but understand why.” –mh

Jack McKinney, owner and president of Voges Drilling Co. in New Braunfels, adapted to the changing economy and gave Voges a

stronger foundation.


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First on the range

The Associated Builders and Contrac-tors (ABC) South Texas Chapter hosted the first industry event to be

held at Top Golf, just 12 days after the en-tertainment venue’s grand opening. With around 200 RSVPs, about 240 showed up at the modern driving range, taking turns in their teams’ game bays to drive for fun and points. Even members who don’t play golf enjoyed the event. “It’s the newest entertainment venue in San Antonio,” comments Steven Schul-tz, chapter president. “We didn’t know what to expect. We knew everybody would have a great time. That’s what ABC is all about, fun and friends.” –mh

Justin Calvin, SpawGlass, takes his turn swinging for his team.

L-R: Tye Gardner, Trade Management; Bob Luton, ROMCO Equipment; DeWitt Bebout,

Kennedy Wire Rope & Sling Co.

Saul Robles, right, with his son Justin Robles, 26, who is interning at his father’s demolition

company, Robles1.

L-R: Debbie Martin, Lundberg Masonry; Stephanie O’Rourke, Cokinos Bosien & Young; Greg Allen, T&D Moravits and Co.; Lynn Lundberg, Lundberg Masonry

L-R: (Standing) Andy Lindsey and David Campbell, South Texas Drywall; Bernie Ball, Traugott Inc.; Michael Traugott Jr., Tammy and Alan Thompson, and David Dolby, South Texas Drywall;

(seated) Joe Cockerham, South Texas Drywall; Stacy Littlefield, Ryan Lambertand Chris Jacobs, Equipment Depot

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Diana Wigington-Hilleary, jack-of-all-trades in the office at Capital Pumping, perused the paper before getting ready to start invoicing for the previous day. –mh


continued from Page 1 — Due vigilance

continued from Page 1 — Picking up the pace

continued from Page 1 — A drive-in for a new generation

We do custom rebar fabrication for alltypes of projects, including shop drawings.

In his time as owner, Stephens has foiled many who should fear GPS for a different reason. He notes that they have found and recovered a lot of stolen equipment – literally, tons of it. Clients can log in on the website to view data for their own vehicles or equipment, and Stephens can use this same tracking data to assist authorities in finding thieves on official cases. “I’ve been on the phone with a high-way patrolman triangulating on a stolen truck,” recalls Stephens. He says it was satisfying to know three cops swooped in and caught the thief because of him and the products he carries. He says that was a lot of fun, and they do catch a lot of thieves, but a few years

ago, there was a very sad case where GPS of Texas helped solve a double murder in Odessa. He explains that the son of an el-derly couple asked Stephens to put a tracker on his parents’ Lincoln Navigator because his 86-year-old father kept get-ting lost. Six months later, the couple was found murdered in their home and their vehicle stolen. Stephens says when authorities con-tacted him, he logged into the account and saw exactly where the vehicle was, 150 miles away in Lubbock. Within 15 min-utes of contacting GPS of Texas, Stephens is proud to say that the suspect was in handcuffs. In 2012, that suspect was con-victed and sentenced to death. –mh

booths along the window line with fu-ture open seating planned. Just outside the concession building, there’s a cov-ered patio with outdoor seating illumi-nated with string lights and ceiling fans, and plans for a playground within the wooden fenced area are underway. Whiting-Turner worked on the proj-ect for approximately seven months; achieving substantial completion by mid-December. Construction of the buildings took roughly five months to complete, but the site work, performed by V.K. Knowlton Construction & Utili-ties, took more than 6 months. The proj-ect began by clearing the property, which was farmland with very expansive soils; thus requiring special consideration for the building and pavement construc-tion by the geotechnical engineer of re-cord, Terracon. To help mitigate move-ment due to moisture, all the theatres and drive aisles were constructed on lime stabilized subgrade underneath 6 to 9 feet of compacted base material. The paved areas are chip seal pave-ment, which is a mixture of rock and oil, often seen on county roads. Instead of big black parking lots of rigid asphalt, the chip seal rock is tan in color, giving a nat-ural and rural finished appearance. Treat-ed wood post fencing, by Cut Antz Land Improvements out of Karnes City, with various types of high tensile net wire and 3-strand poly-coated wire fence lends the property the feel of a ranch. A significant part of the job was get-ting the underground infrastructure in place prior to the extensive site work preparation. The concession building is set back approximately 1,600ft from the

main road, and the projection booths and ticket booths, requiring power and data, required runs of conduit upwards of 400ft and 800ft respectively. Another challenge was the remote-ness of the location with respect to ob-taining a guaranteed water pressure and minimum flow required to support the demand of the building and operation of the fire suppression system. Whiting-Turner and the owner, Ryan Smith, en-gaged Kimley-Horn for the design of a domestic water booster pump in the early stages of construction. The project team consisted of Yvonne Larson, project manager; Cecil Perkins, superintendent; and Jeff Breeding, project engineer, with Whit-ing-Turner; architect Dale Dibello of Di-bello Architects, and HMT Engineering & Surveying. PBK’s San Antonio office did the MEP Design. Among the subcontractors on the project were VA Electric, SI Mechanical, Mulder Fire Protection, Longhorn Con-crete, Comanche Masonry, Campbell Paint, D&E Glass Company, Ennis Door, Boa Studio for the millwork, Texas Fifth Wall Roofing and Spider Wall Systems. G.W.C. Whiting and LeBaron Turner, classmates at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), founded The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company in 1909. After working on the original phase of La Can-tera in 2002, the company opened its San Antonio office in 2005. As a commercial general contractor, Whiting-Turner’s work includes industrial, K-12, retail, hospitality, mission critical, student housing and senior living projects. –mh

The drive-in is a classic moviegoing experience, but the interior of the concession stand is very sleek and modern. Photo by Bob Wickley, Photographer

their workload and team. While working on the property, Tre-vino, his mother and father, and one of their administrators used a small 15x15 room as their office until the office space inside could be finished out to allow them each to have a space to call their own. The new location has about 3,000sf of office space with room to add more of-fices if the need arises. There was also space for a conference room and a file room, which JR notes was a big bonus. Though they kept files in cabinets and moved older files into boxes in their for-mer location, the new one allowed them to put in a rolling file system, which makes everything easily accessible and

much more convenient. The new building also has a 9,000-sf warehouse, whereas the old office didn’t have a place for them to receive material. There are old drainage grates in the floor of the warehouse, which JR believes is a remnant from its time under Pace’s own-ership. They also made several improve-ments to the property, including safety and security features, such as new fenc-ing and video monitoring systems. The new building is just north of downtown and only about two to three miles from one of Treco’s current proj-ects, its largest renovation to date, the downtown La Quinta Inn across the street from Rivercenter Mall. –mh

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Construction Education

Promoting professionaldevelopment

Dana Marsh, Education DirectorAssociated General Contractors (AGC)San Antonio, TX

While there are programs to rally the next generation of the workforce

and college programs to bring construc-tion science into the realm of higher edu-cation, what options are available for a professional in the field who wants to continue to improve along an existing ca-reer path? The Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America has programs that are offered nationwide that anyone can at-tend, regardless of membership. Dana Marsh, education director for the San An-tonio Chapter, notes that these programs offer professional development on every level. For people who are out in the field, AGC has the Supervisory Training Pro-gram (STP), a construction-specific train-ing curriculum developed, updated, and field-tested by and for contractors. “Supervisory skill – or the lack of it – directly affects every company's bottom line,” explains Marsh. “Each day, decisions made by every foreman and superinten-dent are crucial to the success or failure of

every construction project. You make your money in the field, and STP can help you improve your organization's bottom line.” Participants in the STP program, which is comprised of six courses or mod-ules, come from a range of backgrounds, and Marsh notes that they could be “any-one on a construction jobsite in a super-visory role – from the new supervisor and foreman to the experienced superinten-dent – who is looking to become a more effective manager of people, time, equip-ment and materials.” For project managers, there is the AGC Project Manager Development Pro-gram (PMDP), another training curricu-lum developed and field-tested by and for contractors, which also offers a certifi-cate of completion. This five-course pro-gram helps assistant project managers, project managers, project engineers and project administrators, among others, develop long-term skills. These courses teach estimating and job costing, con-tract administration, project administra-tion, risk management and leadership.

This program is comprised of five mod-ules, and it is two days for each module. Marsh emphasizes that they try to spread out the scheduling for the classes, especially if they are two-day classes, which ensure that the attendees will not be out of the office for an entire week. “What’s good about these programs is each module is stand alone,” she adds. “So, if you don’t feel like you need all five modules, you can attend just one mod-ule. If you’re a project administrator and you want to just take the one on contract documents and project administration, you can. “These really hit everybody that works in construction, you don’t have to be just a project manager or just a super-intendent to get something out of one of these modules.” In 2009, AGC started its Building In-formation Modeling (BIM) Education Pro-gram, and upon completion, participants receive the Certificate of Management – Building Information Modeling (CM-BIM). Marsh points out that this is the in-dustry’s first and only BIM certificate pro-gram that teaches the practical applica-tion of the Building Information Model-ing process for commercial construction firms. The San Antonio Chapter has also joined with Bexar County to offer the “Ba-sics” of Construction Training Program, and this month, the program is in its 10th year. “The program is a 10-session educa-tional program designed to assist small, minority and women-owned construc-

tion businesses,” she says. These sessions include topics such as running a successful construction busi-ness, project scheduling, financial man-agement, understanding contracts, liens, estimating, project management, safety, business development, insurance and bonds. Graduates of the program are eli-gible to participate in AGC’s two-year Mentor-Protégé Program. These programs each offer a certifi-cate of completion and help to fill an ed-ucation gap once an employee or man-ager is in his or her job. Not only are these things that are not taught in college, Marsh comments, but a lot of field per-sonnel might not have gone to college, having worked their way up to their cur-rent position. Addressing practical issues that these team members will be dealing with daily, these programs can help them learn how to motivate the people work-ing for them and communicate to them. Also, Marsh believes that this can benefit those applying for these posi-tions, stating, “if you’re applying for a job, it’s going to show the employer that you’re really interested in bettering your-self and progressing in your career.” Dana Marsh started at AGC San Anto-nio as the plan room manager 15 years ago. As the chapter developed a more ro-bust education program, she transitioned to education director. She serves on the Ad-visory Council for Construction Careers Academy and the St Philip’s Construction Advisory Committee, as well as chapter ad-ministrator for the AGC Student Chapter at UTSA. –mh

Education and experience equally important

Dr. Orlando R. Bagcal, Associate Professor and Coordinator, Construction ManagementTechnology ProgramTarrant County College SouthFort Worth, TX

How have construction education and training changed over the

years? Construction education has always been dynamic and evolving. The de-mand of stringent industry standards and quality, as well as the growing em-phasis on making buildings more energy efficient, require a high level of knowl-edge and education. Keeping abreast of current technological changes, emerg-ing techniques and methods and com-puter knowledge and skills will help fu-ture construction project managers per-form their professional responsibilities. In addition, the delivery of education and training has changed in the past de-cade. Aside from the traditional class-room face-to-face instruction, there are various options that students can choose that will suit their demanding schedules, such as online classes and hybrid (combi-nation of face-to-face and online) classes. These options allow individuals who want to further their education more flexibility and enable them to learn sub-ject content at their own pace.

What areas of education need to be improved to better serve the indus-try? The construction industry is a com-

plex and challenging environment, thus requiring an individual that has the abili-ty to quickly adapt and respond to cur-rent situations and problems. Students who are pursuing a career in construc-tion must be trained and learn critical thinking (logical and analytical), team working (collaboration) and advanced knowledge and skills in computer-driven technology. Further, as many government agen-cies and private companies require and standardize the use of BIM (Building In-formation Modeling) in construction projects, it is important that students must learn the capability as well as ability to operate this software. The use of BIM in construction projects is known to im-prove collaboration and more efficient processes in the construction industry.

How important is “hands-on” train-ing? As I always tell my students, educa-tion is as important as obtaining experi-ence (hands-on). Knowledge + experi-ence = wisdom, a trait project managers must possess in order to make good deci-sions in every situation that arises at the field site. Practical experience or hands-on training is very important in becom-ing a construction manager, whether you

obtained it through classroom laborato-ries, an internship or a job as a construc-tion trade.

What are ways to attract young people to the industry? The mindset of young people has to be changed. The idea that the construc-tion industry is all about dust and mud, hammers and saws or materials and heavy equipment must go away. Pro-spective young people need to know that getting an education in construction will lead them to vast and various oppor-tunities in the industry. To attract young people, we need to teach them to look at things in a different way, a varied way in doing things. Teaching strategies and ways that will streamline processes and improve workplace safety by integrating computer and automation in the work-place could stimulate their desire to be in the construction industry. Likewise, construction companies should invest in training their young con-struction workers so that they feel secure that their viability as a hirable employee will continue to grow. Thriving construc-tion companies must establish skills pro-gression programs with rewards as young workers move up the management lad-der. Doing so will help restructure the in-dustry to continue to be appealing to young people.

What are some areas of study? The responsibilities of the construc-tion manager are becoming complex and demanding. Construction managers plan, direct, coordinate and budget di-verse construction projects in various sectors such as residential, commercial, heavy infrastructure and industrial facili-ties.

Students who consider a career in this industry must learn the functions of project managers: estimating, schedul-ing, planning, coordinating and supervis-ing. There is also this growing need to-ward certification in special areas as con-struction managers. This certification is becoming valuable as it provides valida-tion and evidence of their expertise, pro-ficiencies and competencies to be con-struction management professionals. Construction Management Association of America (CMAA), American Institute of Constructors (AIC), National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) all have established a voluntary certification exam or training for construction manag-ers. At Tarrant County College, we offer four different certificates of completion and an AAS degree in Construction Man-agement Technology.

Are scholarships available for con-struction education? There are several scholarships of-fered for construction management stu-dents at Tarrant County College through the TCC Foundation such as the “West-wood Contractor Scholarship” and “For the Ones Who Get It Done Scholarship.” In addition, the Texas Builders Founda-tion and the National Housing Endow-ment of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) offer scholarships for students who pursue a career in the residential sectors. The Associated Gen-eral Contractors (AGC) is also offering scholarships for those wanting to be in the commercial sectors. –mjm


Construction Education

Look for a good education foundation

Mike Holland, CPC, AIC, PresidentAmerican Council for Construction EducationSan Antonio, TX

When most people think about con-struction education, the first thing

that comes to mind is training for the skilled trades – plumbing, electrical, equipment operator, steel erector, etc. These are important elements of the in-dustry. Just as important are the senior managers, executives and business own-ers who create the opportunities to work in the industry and invest their money and manage the risks to their investment (the company’s equity). This element of the construction industry needs more than the training of the skilled tradesman – they need education, that element pro-vided by colleges and universities that provides the foundation upon which to build and lead a successful business. Through American Council for Con-struction Education (ACCE), the industry has developed the ability to create the foundation (there’s that word again – a construction-appropriate term for this ar-ticle) for new graduates to begin their

career in the management of the con-struction process, to grow their experi-ence and ability to combine the many parts and teams of skilled folks and busi-nesses to deliver that safe, on-schedule, on-budget project, protecting the equity of the company from the many risks that threaten every construction project. There are many colleges and univer-sities across the country that offer 2-year, 4-year and master degrees in the build-ing sciences, construction management, construction science and management that prepare the graduates to manage the process. Other degrees that are tan-gent would include construction engi-neering, architectural engineering and construction technology and other de-scriptors. Engineering is more focused on the design of the project, whether a building, highway, residential develop-ments, a bridge or a utility. The building sciences are focused more on managing the constructing of the project; this re-

quires a broad basis of the technology of building as well as the business side of the process; engineering does not give the graduate that element. A degree in the building sciences in-cludes education in these competencies: estimating; scheduling; safety; project management; construction law; commu-nications, both written and oral; con-struction accounting; basic construction methods and materials; surveying; ethics in the construction industry; and the fun-damentals of business: accounting; eco-nomics; business law; and principles of management and more. Regardless of the level of college degree (2-year, 4-year, or master degree), the foundation that a college degree provides the graduate the starting point for advancing their career. With the downturn in 2007-2011, the media caused many parents and high school students to steer clear of the con-struction industry – a sad situation. Though the industry did slow down, it is not one that can be exported, like com-puter programming, architectural and engineering efforts, to lower wage coun-tries – construction and the management of it has to be on-the-ground, at the site. The industry is now suffering from a worker shortage on many levels, includ-ing the construction management grad-uates. This “hole in the pipeline” of new graduates is now impacting many com-panies that need the continuum of man-agement talent in their organizations to

continue that flow of quality manage-ment and leadership development for the successful succession in the years ahead. Today, the shortage of new grad-uates in the construction management arena is causing companies to struggle in filling their teams with the talent they need. A career in the building sciences, construction management, construction science and management professions provides the opportunity for young graduates to begin a very rewarding ca-reer – more than money – the chance to be part of creating in every community, state and country and supporting the lo-cal economy, health and education, and environment for that community. During one’s career, one can look at what they created – not alone - with a team of other professionals, skilled tradesmen and oth-er local leaders and be proud of where their career has taken them. Education will provide the opportu-nity – the foundation; a person’s capabili-ties will take them toward their calling and the success provided by this special industry – construction. Get that foundation built and see where you take your career.

The mission of ACCE is to be a leading global advocate of quality construction education; and to promote, support, and accredit quality construction education programs. –cw

Hands on experience is key

Glen O’Mary, Director of EducationConstruction & Maintenance EducationFoundation (CMEF)La Porte, TX

What type of training is available at your organization?

CMEF provides formal craft training, skills upgrade training, soft skills training, customizable corporate training, and fast-track training. The Foundation con-sistently seeks new training avenues to assist members and contractors with their changing needs in today’s construc-tion environment. A new program we have developed – the Commercial Jump Start Training Program - is a great example of how we are able to fill a need that is the direct re-sult of contractors requests for fast tracked, module based learning. By keeping our training model flexible, we are able to meet a wide range of contrac-tors’ needs quickly and efficiently. How has construction education and training changed over the years? Previously, the training model of for-mal semester-based craft education fit the bill for most contractors. While this train-ing model is still applicable, today we have a ‘perfect storm’ brewing in the industry.

We are blessed to have a healthy in-dustry with new projects that have either broken ground or are coming down the pipeline in short order. However, we have a shortage of men and women in the field to build these projects. A shortage of skilled labor has a domino effect for everyone – delayed projects and higher costs are most ap-parent. CMEF is working on many levels to help alleviate this problem, from high school programs that educate young people about the opportunities in con-struction, to reaching out to veterans and the un- or under-employed to demon-strate the rewards of a career in construc-tion. Because of the industry’s critical worker shortage, CMEF is focusing on specialized, industry-based, fast-track training options that benefit the employ-ee as well as the employer. How important is “hands on” training? The “hands on” component is crucial, and should be a part of every program. You can sit with a student in a class-room and teach him or her the funda-

mentals of welding for hours, but it is not until that student actually stands at a welding booth and is able to physically experience the welding process that he or she gains a true understanding. Hands on experience is the key to success. It is this reason that we offer Per-formance Verifications at the CMEF cam-pus. We assist craft professionals by ob-serving their skills in a trade to verify that they do in fact have the correct skills to complete a task – not only correctly, but also safely. What are ways to attract young people? The first step is to improve the con-struction industry’s image and properly convey the many opportunities available. We, not only as an industry but as an entire community, need to let young people know they have more options available to them after high school. Un-fortunately, many young people are led to believe that a four-year college degree is the only option if they want to be suc-cessful. Not all high school students want to go on to college and they need to know about careers in construction. We feature success stories on our website at www.cmefhouston.org of men and women who went through our training program, built their career in construction, and today are highly suc-cessful individuals. We have also been very successful in expanding our outreach to high school campuses. Just a few years ago, we part-nered with a handful of high school cam-puses. Thanks to our state legislators who

supported and passed House Bill 5, as well as the efforts of our Schools Program Director, Dr. Steven Horton, today I am proud to say that we are partnered with 30 high school campuses and continue to grow that number. One of the goals of the Schools Pro-gram is to provide students with the op-portunity to explore the many facets of the construction industry and the career opportunities available. A second goal is to give CTE teachers resources and new connections to current happenings in the industry, providing them with opportunities to meet industry leaders, and become aware of the numer-ous job opportunities for their students. A third goal of the program is to en-courage industry participation from the very companies who will seek to fill con-struction positions. How important is recruitment at high school and college level? As mentioned before, it is very im-portant to create awareness about indus-try opportunities and recruit students into the industry at the high school and college levels. These recruitment efforts help de-velop a long-term pipeline of future in-dustry professionals and exposure of our industry. It is never too early to educate young people about the industry and built envi-ronment around them. Many of our contractor members par-ticipate at the middle school level of edu-cation – working to foster lines of commu-nication with young people early on. –ab


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The young and the RooterConstruction News ON LOCATION

PolishedConstruction News ON LOCATION

Here come the trail riders!

Getting schooled

L-R: Roger Vela and Amanda Hill were at the front desk around lunchtime, helping Ryan DeWeese, operations manager, hold down the fort at

Mr. Rooter Plumbing of San Antonio. –mh

Enrique Carstens is the director of marketing and sales for Modern Day Concrete, and he has samples to show the type of decorative and polished concrete the company

does. The floor of the office is a full-sized example. –mh

Members of Joeris General Contractors’ San Antonio team visited the company’s Fort Worth office on Feb. 11 to discuss “Joeris University.” The upcoming centralized training

program for employees takes any opportunity happening within the company and makes it available online for easy access. –mjm/mh

Trail rides from all over converge on San Antonio for the annual Stock Show and Rodeo. Above, the South Texas Trail Riders were seen on

Hwy. 181 just outside of San Antonio. –cw


Round-Up Association CalendarContent submitted by Associations to Construction News

ABCAssociated Builders & Contractors

All events are held at the ABC office unless otherwise stated.Mar. 2: Future Leaders Task Force meet-ing; 4pm; for more info, email Steven Schultz at [email protected]. 11: Safety & Health Committee meet-ing; 12pm; for more information, email Dana Hickman at [email protected]. 12: Chili Cook-off; parking lot adjacent to ABC office; 3:30-7:30pm; for info, email Ruby Trejo at [email protected]. 18: Apprenticeship Committee meeting; noon; for info, email Dana Hick-man at [email protected]

AGCAssociated General Contractors

All events are held at the AGC office unless otherwise stated.Mar. 2: Media Interview Training, 1-5:30pmMar. 3: The Basics Session #1, 6-8pmMar. 9: Annual Golf Tournament; The Club at Sonterra; registration 11am, shot-gun 12:30pm; deadline entries is Mar. 4; for more info on playing or sponsoring, call Kelly at 210-349-4921Mar. 10: The Basics Session #2, 6-8pmMar. 11: BIM Unit #4, 8am-5pmMar. 12: TBB Legislative Day, Austin; CLF Brown Bag Lunch: Forensic Documenta-tion, noonMar. 13: Education Committee mtg, 8:30amMar. 16: Leadership Academy, Week #1, 12:30-4:30pmMar. 17: The Basics Session #3, 6-8pmMar. 19: Safety & Health Committee meeting, 11:30amMar. 18-20: AGC of America Convention, San Juan, Puerto RicoMar. 23: Leadership Academy, Week #2, 12:30-4:30pmMar. 24: CLF Steering Council meeting, noon; The Basics Session #4, 6-8pmMar. 28: CLF Family Event, Main Event Entertainment, 11am-3pmMar. 30: Leadership Academy, Week #3, 12:30-4:30 pmMar. 31: The Basics Session #5, 6-8pm

AIAAmerican Institute of Architects

Mar. 9: Lecture Series; lecture from Wil-helm von Boddien, the driving force for the rebuilding of the former Imperial Castle, Berlin into Humboldtforum Museum; 6pm; San Antonio Museum of Art, 200 West Jones Ave.; free and open to the publicMar. 25: Joint Chapter meeting with SMPS; “Perspectives on the Exploding Urban Core” speaker Robert Rivard, The Rivard Report; 11:30am-1pm, Plaza Club, 100 W. Houston, Frost Bank Tower, 21st Floor; RSVP required; for more information, visit www.aiasa.org

ASAAmerican Subcontractors Assn.

Mar. 5: 20th Excellence in Construction Awards Banquet; Historic Pearl Stable; cocktails 6pm followed by dinner and awards; to reserve a table or individual seat, call 210-349-2105Mar. 31: Lunchbox Seminar – Reasonable Suspicion, Drug and Alcohol Training DOT Certification eligible; Padgett Stratemann, 100 NE Loop 410, Suite 1100; 11:30am-1pm; lunch provided; members $40, non-mem-bers $50; to reserve a seat, call 210-349-2105 or email [email protected]

CFMAConstruction Financial Mngmt. Assn.

Mar. 24: Chapter Luncheon; 11:30am-1pm; Petroleum Club, RSVP to Stephanie at 210-828-6281, ext. 1575, or [email protected]

HCA de San AntonioHispanic Contractors Association

Mar. 12-13: OSHA 10-Hour; UTPA McAl-len Teaching Site, 1800 S. Main St., Suite 100m, McAllen, TX; 8am- 4:30pm on the 12th, 8am-1pm on the 13th; OSHA 10-Hour Construction Industry Course on

Construction Site Safety in Work Zones; this is a federally-funded training course; space is limitedMar. 18: Monthly meeting/Mixer; The Plaza Club, 100 West Houston; free for members, non-members $10; presenta-tions by Joeris General ContractorsMar. 19-20: OSHA 10-Hour (Spanish Course); HCA office, 203 Norton St.; members $25, non-members $40; in-cludes breakfast, materials and OSHA 10 cards; space is limitedMar. 27: 2nd Annual Casino Night; San An-tonio Food Bank, 5200 Old Hwy 90 West; 6-11pm; silent auction, beverages, food, prizes, three hours of gaming; bring canned goods donation, get an extra gaming chipTo register or for more info, call 210-444-1100, email Patty at [email protected], or visit www.hcadesa.org

IECIndependent Electrical Contractors

All events are held at the IEC office un-less otherwise stated.Mar. 16: Continuing Education Class, 5-9pmMar. 17: A&T Committee Meeting, 11amMar. 18: Board of Directors mtg, 11amMar. 20-21: 15th Annual BBQ Cook-Off & Apprentice Competition, Helotes Festival GroundsMar. 28: Electrical Maintenance Techni-cian Class, 8am-5pmFor more info please call 210-431-9861 or visit www.iecsanantonio.com

MCA–SMACNAMechanical Contractors Association

Sheet Metal & A/C Nat’l Assn.

Mar. 4: Regular & Associates meeting, Oak Hills Country Club, 11:30 a.m.Mar. 18: Joint Industry Fund meeting, Oak Hills Country Club, 11:30amMar. 19: Golf Tournament, SilverHorn Golf Club, 1pm

NAWICNat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

Mar. 1-7: National Women In Construc-tion Week Mar. 4: General meeting, Petroleum Club; 5:30pm; WIC Week Celebration Membership Mixer Mar. 6: Golf Tournament, SilverHorn Golf ClubMar. 19: Board of Directors meeting, Ur-ban Concrete, 6pm

NFRANational Foundation Repair Assn.

Mar. 19: Chapter meeting, TBD, 5-8pmApr. 16-17: 25th anniversary conference, Menger Hotel, speaker Nolan Ryan

PHCC Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors

All events are held at the PHCC office unless otherwise stated.Mar. 7, 21: Plumbers Continuing Educa-tionMar. 12: Open House/Monthly meetingMar. 18-19: Rheem trainingMar. 24: Board of Directors meeting

SAMCASan Antonio Masonry Contractors Assn.

Mar. 25: Membership meeting; Pap-padeaux Restaurant, 76 NE Loop 410; noon; $30 per person; for more info call Debbie at 830-606-5556

SDASociety for Design Administration

Mar. 26: Monthly Chapter meeting; “Non-Technical Drivers of Risk in a Design Firm” with speaker Jim Jimmerson, USI Southwest; noon-1pm at The Barn Door, 8400 N. New Braunfels; for more info email [email protected]

USGBCU.S. Green Building Council

Mar. 12: Monthly Luncheon, 11:30am-1pm; members $30, non-members $40, student $20; TBD, San Antonio

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

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Erika Yates has joined IBTX Risk Services as a risk advisor. She will ex-pand the commer-cial insurance por-tion of the compa-ny’s business line and will be respon-sible for providing holistic risk manage-ment solutions to businesses in the ener-gy and oil and gas industry. Having start-ed in the personal insurance arena when she moved to San Antonio in 2010, she is licensed in Property & Casualty and Life & Health.

Big Red Dog Engineering announces:Leo Gutierrez has joined the firm as a project designer. His responsibilities will include providing engineering design support to the proj-ect management staff for retail, office, multi-family and industrial development projects. He earned his associate degree in drafting and design at San Antonio Community College. James Sakai has joined the firm as a project engineer. His responsibilities will include the comple-tion of engineering designs and con-struction plans. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engi-neering from the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Brian Platfoot has joined Raba Kist-ner, Inc. as corpo-rate health and safety manager for the firm and its sub-sidiaries, including 14 locations across the state of Texas, Utah, Mexico and New York. He will manage the Enterprise-Wide Health and Safety program. With more than 14 years of experience, he has been a regional health and safety man-ager in the construction and oil and gas industries for multiple companies in Alas-ka. He earned his bachelor’s degree in health and safety and his master’s in oc-cupational safety and health from Co-lumbia Southern University.

Skanska USA an-nounces that Amie Kromis O’Riley has been named as the diversity and inclu-sion coordinator for the company’s Tex-as region. O’Riley, who is positioned in the Dallas office, will be responsible for internal coordination of diversity and inclusion initiatives, com-munity outreach and relationship devel-opment with diverse business enterpris-es. O’Riley received her Bachelor of Arts degree in corporate communications and public affairs from Southern Methodist University.

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™CONSTRUCTIONCONSTRUCTIONSan Antonio

Steel’s second life



Electronic gold A & C power

www.constructionnews.net (210) 308-5800 Volume 16 Number 3 MARCH 2013

When Thomas Schluter, PE, bought Beckwith Electronic Engineering from founders

Jack Beckwith and George Ridder in 1991, there were 15 employees; today, as the company celebrates its 50th anniver-sary, Schluter has grown the company to ranging between 60 and 75 employees. Since 1962, Beckwith has been a dis-tributor, contractor, and consultant, de-signing, selling, installing, and servicing commercial communication systems. Those include nurse call and fi re alarm systems, security systems such as card access and closed-circuit TVs, and inter-com systems in schools. As an engineering graduate of Trini-ty University, Beckwith hired Schluter as

a manager trainee in 1986 and worked under him to get his professional engi-neer license. “Thomas pretty much worked side-by-side with Jack, learning the company from the bottom up,” remembers Cyn-thia Schluter, his wife and vice president. “Thomas did every job there was to do, because he wanted to know everything and how it all worked.” Several years passed before Beck-with expressed his intentions to retire and sell the business, and Schluter seized the opportunity to buy it. Even though he was born and raised in Mexico City, both of Schluter’s parents were of German descent, and his family

L-R: Cynthia and Thomas Schluter have grown Beckwith Electronic Engineeringto be the star of its very own boulevard. Photo by Luis Vazquez.

A century has passed since the Peden Iron & Steel building was in its prime, but Galaxy Builders re-

vitalized the historic structure, trans-forming it into luxurious downtown liv-ing aptly called Steel House Lofts. At a project cost of approximately $7 million, the old two-story, steel-manu-facturing warehouse on South Flores Street was converted into a four-story, 67-unit multi-family residence in just over a year. The rebirth of this facility came with many challenges, several of which were directly related to its age. Galaxy had to be sure of the structure’s integrity. “The framing materials that we used were substantially different,” says Neilesh Verma, president of Galaxy. “The fi rst two fl oors were metal and tran-sitioned to wood framing for the third and fourth fl oors.” This was one of the fi rst challenges Galaxy faced, project manager Mick Sid-

bury recalls: “We had to test the concrete on the roof to fi nd out if it was going to be strong enough. We weren’t sure be-cause no one had ever done any core drilling on that roof.” Once the roof proved sound to hold the additional two stories, the fl ooring was redesigned to match the roof. The crew faced another challenge with the historic slab in the two-story units occupying both the basement and fi rst fl oor. Ten inches of concrete had to be cut out to install the spiral staircases connecting the two fl oors of each unit with bedrooms downstairs from living ar-eas and kitchens. “Hundred-year-old concrete is prob-ably better than the concrete today,” ob-serves Sidbury. “It was defi nitely a chal-lenging job.” Steel House marks Sidbury’s fi rst job

Steel House Lofts was born from an historic downtown building over 100 years old.Photo by Mary C. Haskin Photography

Two of San Antonio’s oldest and most respected electrical contrac-tors, Alterman, Inc. and Corbo

Electric Company, Inc., have merged. Al-terman’s acquisition of Corbo is a mutu-ally benefi cial move that will open doors and will maintain current employment levels. Corbo owner Bob Corbo describes Alterman as a “dear, friendly competitor” that his company has worked alongside on projects as building automation while Alterman’s performed the electrical con-tracting. As he approaches his 70th birth-day, Corbo states that it was time for him to make plans to transition that would take care of his nearly 100 employees, many loyal customers, and ultimately, his

family.John Wright, CEO and president of

Alterman, says that the company has been looking for an opportunity to diver-sify and grow in the ways that the acqui-sition of Corbo will fi nally allow. Corbo’s expertise in areas such as automated controls, service, and projects that fall in Alterman’s small to mid-sized range be-tween $50,000 and $3 million. “It was a perfect fi t for us,” Wright ex-plains. “And it helped Bobby accomplish what he was trying to accomplish, so it’s working out great for both of us.” Corbo has reassured employees and customers alike that Alterman will con-tinue Corbo’s business, including allow-

John Wright and Bob Corbo have come together to bring theCorbo Electric Company under the Alterman name.

Hemisfair Entrance


™CONSTRUCTIONCONSTRUCTIONSouth Texas

Up and running like a Deere



Focused on design Chip off the ol’ block

www.constructionnews.net (210) 308-5800 Volume 1 Number 3 MARCH 2013

Megamorphosis, inc. partners Meg Foster Jorn, AIA, LEED AP, RID, IIDA and John Pearcy, AIA,

say the love of design is apparent in the work they do at their Harlingen-based ar-chitecture and interior design fi rm. Jorn, the president, founded the fi rm in 1995, and notes you won’t catch her and Pearcy, the vice president, doing cut-and-paste design on their projects. The Rio Grande Valley’s bi- cultural border location has developed styles that are unique says Jorn. “The border brick style” that was developed here in the early 1900s is one example of an ar-chitectural style indigenous to the re-gion. “John and I try to use details and ma-terials that are regional; sometimes with

a new or modern twist. We try to create something unique for each client, re-gardless of budget. We see every project as an opportunity. “John and I are very different people, but we share the love of architecture and design.” The fi rm celebrated a milestone of sorts in February after purchasing and renovating a building in downtown Har-lingen that will serve as its new head-quarters. “It’s very unique – it’s a little, funky old building,” Jorn says. “After renting at our current location for 13 years, this is very exciting.” A Massachusetts native, Jorn said she got her love of architecture from her

L-R: President Meg Jorn and Vice President John Pearcy

Victoria, TX is home to a number of breathtaking, beautiful ranching and farming properties—which

you can’t maintain without good farm equipment. Fear not, ranch owners and ranch hands. K&T Construction Co., Inc. re-cently completed a new farm supply store and equipment dealer in Victoria that is selling a variety of John Deere farm equipment. The project involved construction of a 26,677-sf structure that included a retail sales fl oor and a large mechanic shop for the John Deere dealership. The project took 270 days to com-plete, said K&T co-owner and project manager Scott Strnadel. The fi nished product bears the name Shoppas’ Farm Supply, and is owned by Chris Shoppa. Strnadel said working with the own-er was a positive experience, and allowed

the project to run smoothly. “As a construction fi rm, a key compo-nent to a successful project is time,” Strn-adel explained. “Mr. Shoppa played a key role with making decisions in a very time-ly manner. “His presence throughout the life of the project minimized any down time. When we needed a decision to be made, it was done determinedly and immedi-ately.” The main materials used to construct the dealership and mechanic shop were metal building, masonry and drywall. Architectural features include fl oor-to-ceiling windows on much of the deal-ership’s front wall, allowing natural light to enter the showroom. Strnadel said the project’s short dis-tance from the Gulf Coast presented challenges with wind. Despite this chal-lenge, he noted that nobody was hurt.

Glass windows adorn the front of Shoppa’s Farm Supply,a new John Deere farm equipment dealership in Victoria.

Tre’ Peacock, owner of Peacock General Contractors in Harlingen, didn’t go to college for a construc-

tion degree. He instead opted for a business de-gree, because he already knew he planned on following in the footsteps of his father, Bill Peacock, former owner of Peacock Construction, which was formed in 1974. This year, Peacock General Contrac-tors celebrates its 10th anniversary, where Tre’, owner, works alongside his father, who joined his son after his part-ner’s retirement. “”I grew up in construction,” says Peacock, who was raised in the Rio Grande Valley. “I always knew what I wanted to do—what my dad did.

“As soon as I got out of college, I jumped out and started working from him. From there, I went on to start my own company.” Peacock inherited his father’s staff when he opened the doors to Peacock General Contractors, but soon saw that it took more than a name to get big con-tracts. “I had the same employees and the same people, so that was pretty seam-less,” Peacock explained. “As far as the jobs I could take on, that was a lot differ-ent. “My history was not my father’s, so my fi rst year was probably a volume of $1 million. Last year was $11.5 million, so

Tre’ Peacock, owner of Peacock General Contractors, is hard at work in Harlingen.

Eagle Ford area

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The New Year brought some big changes to the leadership at HOLT CAT, and in early February, the

equipment and engine dealer announced that Bert Fulgium has been appointed vice president of product support for the company’s Machine Division. Fulgium is taking over for a veteran at HOLT, Ron Craft, whom Fulgium calls a “legend builder,” who recently announced his retirement from the company. Before moving into his new role, Fulgium served as vice president of product support for HOLT CAT’s Power Systems Division. “I’m very excited about the opportu-nity to serve our customers in this new capacity,” says Fulgium, noting that he has been on the engine side of the com-pany for 13 years. In his previous position, Fulgium esti-mates that 80 percent of their business came from the oil and gas industry. On the machine side, instead of dealing with just engines, he is leading a group that deals with a diverse group, including cus-tomers in road construction and the min-ing industry. Having grown up in Beckville, TX, Fulgium originally started out as an in-strument and electrical (I&E) technician. He then moved into supervision and management in the oil and gas industry. From there, he took on a business devel-opment role for a couple of years. Around that time, having attended junior college for a short time after high school, Fulgium decided to return to school in pursuit of his bachelor’s degree in business administration, which he earned from LeTourneau University in Longview. He later earned his master’s degree from Texas A&M University-Com-merce. He began his career at HOLT CAT in 2002 around the time the company ac-quired Darr Equipment Co. He started out as a local service manager in Longview. A year-and-a-half later, he was promoted to

regional service manager. Five years ago, he was promoted to product support manager, and then he became vice presi-dent of product support on the engine side. Along with his team, he has worked on building new engine rebuild facilities, which, he adds, have been wildly success-ful, and they started national generator maintenance contracts. He states that a lot of good people have contributed to his success at HOLT CAT. In his new role, which he describes as being part of the sustainability and growth efforts, leadership and the culture of the company will be keys to success. He maintains that a lot of great things are al-ready at work, and he just has to continue to provide leadership for a great team. At 47, Fulgium’s passions outside of work include his family and bow hunting. –mh

Bert Fulgium has taken on a new role at HOLT CAT as the vice president of product

support for the Machine Division.

Another new leader rises at HOLT

When starting a business, many factors are hard to predict, such as how the business will grow

and what space will be necessary. Heath-er Schmidt, co-owner of Schmidt Me-chanical Group, says that they found out very quickly that they needed more space. In October, they moved to Suite 102 at 10927 Wye Drive. Heather’s husband, Keith Schmidt, president, started the HVAC company in 2010. Their previous office was on Austin Highway with only about 900sf of space, putting about four offices and the office staff right on top of one another. Space outside the office was also very limited and did not offer enough parking or room to spread out vehicles or trailers. There was also not enough storage room for parts, which meant their employees were running back and forth to supply houses. At approximately 3,000sf, Schmidt Mechanical’s new location comes with

Three times bigger, cooler

several advantages. The new space has a reception area and six offices. Everyone fits comfortably, and there is still room for future growth. Heather notes that they hope to continue to add employees. There is also a training room complete with a projector screen, allowing them to show training videos. This gives them a classroom setting to conduct their week-ly safety meetings and training with their technicians. The facility also boasts a parts storage room and a warehouse space. The area is surrounded by other pro-fessional businesses, including neighbors they enjoy having, and it is convenient for its owners. This can be especially impor-tant for Heather, who is at the office part-time, since the couple has an active 3-year-old son. Heather notes that Keith manages operations, including training and inventory, while she does accounts payable and helps dispatcher Susan Mays with receivables and invoicing. –mh

Heather and Keith Schmidt, owners of Schmidt Mechanical Group, are much more comfortable in their new office location.


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Modern remodelConstruction News JOB SIGHT

Mario Rivera, a “jack-of-all-trades” for general contractor Treco Enterprises, installed the laminate for new countertops and cabinet doors in one of the guest suites at the La Quinta Inn downtown. Treco started renovations of the largest corporate-owned

hotel property in the country on Jan. 5 and should be finished by the beginning of April, completing a whole floor every 12 days. –mh

In the first years as Willcox Metal Fab-rication, Peter Willcox had started his own company so young that he feels it

was hard for people to take him serious-ly: “I’d have people come in and ask where my dad was. It would definitely take people off guard.” Today, he’s the 34-year-old owner of a successful business, and it still might be hard for his customers to believe he’s been doing this going on 10 years now. He enjoys what he does and tries to do the best he can for his 27 employees. Last year, he was proud to finally be able to bring in health insurance, and in the next year or two, he hopes to be able to offer a 401K plan. “It’s really neat to me that so many people can make a living working here, and I just think it’s my responsibility to keep it going, and with my success, share it with everybody else,” he says. “I don’t want to leave anybody out, because Will-cox Metal’s success is [because of] them.” Originally from Austin, Willcox moved to San Antonio after graduating from Texas State University, and three months later, was laid off. When opportu-nity knocked to start his own business, he started operating in Boerne and moved to San Antonio a few months later. At one point, Willcox had a partner and they bought out Triple J Manufacturing, which

made angle iron sign frames. He sold that part of the business about a year ago. Willcox Metal Fabricators does a lot of signs, and a very unique project was the AT&T logo on the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington. Willcox came in on the job to help complete parts of the sig-nage, doing one entire logo on one side, and the top three pieces on the other side. They also did two of the words AT&T Stadium on the Jumbotron, and a set of letters behind one of the end zones. He says the logo is about 95 feet wide and the letters are 50 feet high, and he remembers that it required 18 18-wheeler truckloads from San Antonio to Arlington. They also had just a month-and-a-half to complete it, whereas a proj-ect like that typically takes them six or seven months to do. Willcox was particularly excited to be part of this project since his father played a small part in the construction of the original stadium. When his dad was younger, he drove a truck and delivered concrete to the jobsite. The sign business has kept the shop busy lately; they’ve recently completed the pylon for the Sonterra Village shop-ping center and the new pylon for Com-munity Bible Church. Aside from the signs, Willcox did the wine racks for Kir-by’s Steak House and Stonewerks. –mh

As a Texas State grad, Peter Willcox, owner of Willcox Metal Fabricators,shows off his Bobcat pride with a metal sign from his shop.

Metallic youth

L-R: Miles Stanley, project manager; Jacob Nadauld, CAD tech; and Rex Hackett, survey manager, gather over a set of plans at Ford Engineering. The firm is currently working on

boundary and street surveys, as well as the Castillo Mission Funeral Home and the San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) Wheatley Courts project. –mh

The men with a planConstruction News ON LOCATION

Past issues of Construction Newscan be downloaded at

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After celebrating his 60th birthday in November, Anthony Heye is celebrating the 15th anniversary of

his company, Planet Pickup. With lots of work these days, Heye told Construction News that he never takes down the “Now hiring” sign. In the business for a total of 42 years, Heye worked for another company for 25 years, then helped someone else start a business before starting Planet Pickup. “We’re all lock, stock and barrel paid for and rolling along,” says Heye. “We’re good to go. Still, things are rocking along good. We’re pretty blessed.” Heye credits his customers with ad-vertising for them by word of mouth and the oil field business for being a boon. They’ve done a lot of fleet work for differ-ent groups of oil field companies, as well as contractors. As the name suggests, Planet Pickup encompasses a world of products for pickup trucks, including lift kits, tires,

Ruling the planet

wheels, bumpers, goosenecks and hitch-es, and Heye adds that they install every-thing that they sell. Little by little, Heye notes he is trying to feed the business over to his cousin, James Heye, employee Chris Campbell, a shop foreman who has moved to the counter, and Anthony “Antz” Mackech-ney, who has also moved from the shop to help at the counter. Heye says after he turned 60, he told everyone to “expect me when you see me.” But that’s been put on the backburner since one of his top salespeople, Steve Jones, is fighting cancer and has been out since Decem-ber, but they’re praying for him and Jones says he will be back. Having had his 60th birthday party at Natural Bridge Caverns with a cave explo-ration and doing the canopy challenge, Heye says his next big adventure will be a New Zealand red stag hunt in April with his buddy and their families. –mh

Anthony Heye built his store and shop up over the last 15 yearsto be the center of the pickup universe.

Benjamin Gonzalez came to work for Spider Wall Systems as a super-intendent in February 2012. About

a year-and-a-half later, Gonzalez bought the company from owner and founder Bradley Bookout. At the time Gonzalez moved from Houston to work for Spider Wall, his older brother, Gustavo Gonzalez, had been working side by side with Bookout for a few years as his first full-time employee. When Ben and his brothers decided they wanted to start a business to create some of their own opportunities, Ben and Bookout made a deal for him to buy the company in its entirety. Since Ben took over in November 2013, Bookout has stayed on as a director, helping to teach them all that he learned about owning and operating a small business. Bookout started Spider Wall in 2010 to earn a living for him and his fam-ily. In the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M University, the spider was the mascot for

Along came a Spider Wall

his company, and it became the mascot for the business. Based in New Braunfels with around 50 employees working on projects from Austin to San Antonio, Spider Wall does commercial walls and ceilings. They are currently working on an elementary school at Fort Sam Houston, and their biggest project to date was J&J World-wide Services in Austin. Ben says that owning his own busi-ness, which is now a family business, is a little different than he expected. Having to make difficult decisions and live with the consequences is a challenge, but he overcomes it by being tough and taking risks, knowing that everyone is depend-ing on him. He hopes to expand the busi-ness with a branch in Austin and contin-ued growth in San Antonio. At home in Dale, TX, Ben has some land, and he can relax with his kids and feed the cows. –mh

L-R: Bradley Bookout, founder of Spider Wall Systems,and Benjamin Gonzalez, the company’s new owner

For more than 20 years now, HJD Capital Electric Inc. has grown un-der the leadership of its founder

and master electrician, Henry Davila, who continues to grow the company. Founded in 1994, Capital does civil, structural, electrical and mechanical con-struction services. The company has more than 125 full-time employees. More than 30 years ago, Davila started out in the electrical industry as an electrical ap-prentice under his father’s business. He became a journeyman electrician and then a master electrician, and struck out on his own. Early on, Davila did work providing electrical services to the Audie Murphy Veterans Administration Hospital, and that work opened the door to add gen-eral construction services to Capital’s repertoire. In 2013, the company created two separate divisions, Capital Con-struction and Capital Electric. In 2002, Capital obtained its Small Business Administration (SBA) 8a certifi-cation, which led to new contracts at De-partment of Defense installations, in-cluding Lackland Air Force Base, Ran-dolph Air Force Base, Camp Bullis, Camp Mabry and Fort Hood. Though Davila is still the sole propri-etor, as he grew the company, he also grew his leadership team. His vice presi-dent, Dave Wineman, has 30 years of experience on multi-million-dollar proj-ects, including 18 years as a project man-ager for the Army Corps of Engineers and the Air Force Construction and environ-mental projects. Wineman has a bache-lor’s degree in geology/biology and a master’s degree in land/water resource management. Running the electrical di-vision as operations vice president, Ray Garcia has been with Capital for 10 years and has 34 years of experience in electri-cal. Garcia has increased federal projects

Capital improvements

by 40 percent in the last three years, which allows Capital to add new team members to the division, which already accounts for approximately 60 percent of the overall staff. –mh

Henry Davila, president

Dave Wineman, vice president

440 Pinn RoadSan Antonio, TX 78227

210-675-4990

WE MOVETHE EARTH

www.olmosequipment.com


When we at Construction News see y’all out and about, we’ve noticed that some of you love showing us photos on your phones. Who doesn’t love showing off a picture or two, whether it’s of a loved one or a cherished memory or just

something pretty cool? Since you’ve piqued our curiosity, we asked members of the construction com-munity to send us one of their favorite photos on their phone and invited them to tell us about it. Here are the pictures that you and your peers sent in response. –mh

Phoning it in

Justin Smoot, AltermanSmoot in February 2012 with his 41-inch scimitar horned oryx bull harvested

in Mason at Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area

Michael Sireno, Baker TriangleSireno’s granddaughters Ella and Karsyn “making funny faces at me.”

Rick Gonzales,San Marcos

Air ConditioningGonzales with his wife Rosa Linda, who is the one who made the winning salsa for

this year’s AGC Salsa Taste-Off

Debra Ruiz, Wells Fargo/National Asso-ciation of Women in Construction

(NAWIC)“This is my little angel, ‘Rosie,’ looking so

shy and innocent as a ballerina,” Ruiz says, adding that her mama knows bet-ter. “At 3.5 years old, she keeps a smile

on my face and is a true angeland blessing from God.”

Nancy Parker, Raba Kistner“This was taken last October at the San

Antonio Country Club with coaching great Grant Teaff. He was the speaker –

as inspirational as ever – and then a book signing afterwards. It was with a Baylor alums group. When we won the

Southwest Conference championship in 1974, I was a freshman at Baylor. We

played against Penn State/Joe Paterno in the Cotton Bowl, which was billed as the ‘Christians vs. the Lions’ by the media.”

Cory Frazier, IBTX Risk Services“This photo is from the end of August

2014 and was the first baseball game for my son, Bryce. Here, he is meeting the legendary Henry the Puffy Taco. The players may change every year, but it

was a treat for two generations of Mis-sions fans to hang out with the mascot that binds the generations together.”

Clarence “CJ” Gore, Comfort-Air Engineering“Here is a pic of me at Sunken Garden Theatre in 2006. My band at the time, called

Rockus Circus, was opening for Blue Oyster Cult. I’m holding a cowbell because of the whole ‘more cowbell’ joke on Blue Oyster Cult made famous

by a Saturday Night Live skit.”Kelly Wilson, Associated General Con-

tractors (AGC) San Antonio ChapterA photo of her with her husband, Tim

Wilson, in Gruene

Yvonne Larson, Whiting-TurnerLarson couldn’t decide between a few pictures. One photo is of her daughter with

her “live baby doll” Zaria, whom she says has the patience of a saint, and the other is of her daughter jumping in the waves at South Padre Island.

Ruby Trejo, Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) South Texas Chapter“This is a picture of my best friend and I

finally seeing each other after about two years. It was taken at Home Slice Pizza in

Austin, TX.”

san antonio construction news march 2015

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