Re-lighting a Havana relic Arrowwood to the heart Home of their own

Transcription

Covering the Industry’s News
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Style
San Antonio Austin
Dallas/Fort Worth
P.O. Box 791290
San Antonio, Texas 78279-1290
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CONSTRUCTION
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The Industry’s Newspaper
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(210) 308-5800  P.O. Box 791290 San Antonio TX 78279  11931 Warfield San Antonio TX 78216  JUN 2010  Vol. 13  No. 6
Arrowwood to the heart
Home of their own
L-R: John Hurley and David Smith look forward to hosting events at the Main Street Kitchen
and Bath showroom on North Main Street.
The staff of DIO Electrical Contractors gathers around birthday boy, Marcelo Orta,
at the company’s new offices on West Southcross.
D
avid Smith, partner in Arrowwood Cabinetry, is glad to be
back in San Antonio in the cabinet
industry.
After several decades in the industry,
most recently as the vice president of
Cardell Cabinetry, he and his wife, Karen, left San Antonio for their home state
of Ohio and opened a retail cabinet distribution company.
After the Smiths had been in Ohio for
five or six years, dealing with a down
economy, they decided to make a
change.
“We don’t realize how good we have
it here in San Antonio,” Smith said. “But
we fell in love with San Antonio when we
lived here before. We had always wanted
to retire here, but the dilemma is I am not
the retiring type.”
Smith sold his Ohio company, returned to San Antonio and bought Arrowwood Cabinets with partner, John
Hurley.
Hurley, an investment banker, was
doing some work for the original owners
at the time, and they brought Smith in
because of his corporate cabinet experience.
“In the meantime, John found out
very quickly that he had an affection for
the kitchen cabinet business,” Smith said.
In January Smith and Hurley began
the partnership in Arrowwood Cabinets.
“We are real excited about the opportunity and we have taken on a showroom
continued on Page 28
M
arcelo and Delia Orta, owners
of DIO Electrical Contractors,
LLC unlocked the door to the future in December when they moved into
the company’s new headquarters in
South San Antonio.
DIO Electrical grew from 15 to 45 employees in just one year, prompting the
move.
Construction News first told the story
of the young company in May of 2009. At
the time the Ortas had high expectations
in a low economy, and knew keeping a
lean overhead was essential to becoming
a success.
Equipped with Marcelo’s knowledge
as a master electrician and vast experience in the construction industry, DIO
Electrical Contractors was founded in
2008 and operated from a small bedroom in the Ortas’ house.
“We started out with one truck,
which was actually my personal truck
that I would lend to the guys to go out to
the jobs,” Marcelo said. “That was the
sacrifice we thought we needed to make
so that we could be more professional.”
DIO Electrical focused on large design-build projects and was successful
winning bids.
“A lot of it is just hard work and determination as well as dedication of everybody that is working for us,” Delia
said. “We really are a team and it is a team
effort.”
“With growth you just have to mancontinued on Page 28
Re-lighting a Havana relic
T
he flavor of tropical Cuba has returned to the historic Hotel Havana
on Navarro Street, with the completion of a renovation project by Stalwart
Contracting, LLC.
Hotel Havana, a 22,000-sf Mediterranean Revival style structure, was built
originally in 1914 by Edward Franz
Melcher. According to the hotel history,
Melcher was a successful grocer and entrepreuner and used the hotel to accommodate his wholesale buyers.
Through the years the hotel changed
purposes and ownership a number of
times. The Havana is now listed in the Nation Register of Historic Places and is
owned by The Bunkhouse Group.
“Hotel Havana is probably one of the
few truly unique boutique hotels in San
Antonio,” said Alex Whittington, president of Stalwart Contracting, LLC.
“Throughout the renovation, quite a bit
of time and effort was spent towards
bringing the hotel up to an operational
standpoint while at the same time incorporating a historically authentic 1950’s
Cuban theme.”
The renovation included 27 rooms
and a bar in the basement that used to be
the old Cohiba bar. The exterior and interior was painted throughout with a Cuban theme.
Whittington said the entire roof was
replaced along with the repair or replacement of damaged gutters and downspouts. All the electrical systems were
brought up to code and lighting fixtures
were changed throughout the building.
The cooling tower and heat pumps
were cleaned and repaired, and fire sprinkler and alarm systems were brought up
to code as well.
Hotel Havana has a fresh, new look with the charm of 1950s Cuba.
continued on Page 28
Page 2
San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2010
Fiesta Friday
Guests start out the day with a traditional Fiesta breakfast.
Y
ou can bet if it’s Friday at PMI Steel
Pipe & Supply, the day will start
with breakfast tacos for employees.
According to owners Barrett and Melanie Evans, it’s been that way since Day 1.
Putting a Fiesta twist on the tradition, PMI introduced a Fiesta Friday Taco
Breakfast last year for customers and
neighbors of the company on Highway
87 in China Grove.
The second annual event was held
Apr. 23 and drew a nice crowd, according
to Melanie. “They started getting here
before seven o’clock. We are so pleased
and really happy that they came out – all
of our customer base and anybody in this
area. It is amazing how many people are
around you that don’t know what you do
or what you have. So we went up and
down the road and invited all of our
neighbors.”
In addition to all the Fiesta food,
guests took part in prize drawings and
tours of the facility.
PMI Steel Pipe & Supply is a distributor
of steel and supplies to the construction industry and other markets. –kf
Selah Evans, granddaughter of Barrett and
Melanie Evans, holds her boxer puppy
Pookie, who is ready for naptime
after the big event.
San Antonio
CONSTRUCTION NEWS
San Antonio Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathie Fox
saeditor@constructionnews.net
210-308-5800
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© 2010 Construction News, Ltd.
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Page 3
PUTZ AROUND TOWN
J.C. Putz here . . .
My spies were working overtime for the June issue of Construction News, with all the
social goings on in San Antonio. I heard the boss had to invest a little extra in recorder
batteries.
Face the music
Rick Smith, Keller Martin Construction, must have gotten a new cologne or he
was giving out money. He seemed to have attracted a rather large group of people
around him at the BXTX Parking Lot party, . . . But, come to think of it though, seems
like those were some of the guys Rick mentioned in the tell-all April Fool’s story. I don’t
think they were looking for his autograph.
Pretty in pink?
We caught up with Bill Hall Jr., Bill
Hall Jr. Trucking, at the Niznik Concrete
Mr. Big Fish competition down at the coast.
His team was optimistic as the boats headed out in the wee-morning hours, but unfortunately, their choice of outfits scared off all the fish. Maybe next year they will stick
with the traditional Bill Hall Jr. color – baby blue.
With that, I’m out’a here
Page 4
Submitted to Construction News
Pause for play
Surveying the course
The Republic Golf Club in San Antonio was the setting for the annual Texas Society of Professional Surveyors (TSPS) Golf Tournament Apr. 29. Winners are First
Place Team (pictured above): Henry Kuehlen, Shawn McGuire, Roland Enriquez,
Roger Trejo; Second Place Team: Butch Evans, Danny Statham, Lupe Enriques,
Roland Vellejo; Third Place Team: Rico Laijas, Jeremy Doege, Jay Young, Charlie
Sanches; Longest Drive: Jeremy Doege; Closest to the Pin: Paul Ross –kf
Architectural Division 8 staff takes a break from grilling duties
Did
you
know?
Past editions can be
downloaded at
www.ConstructionNews.net
T
he construction industry
gathered once again under the big top at the annual Parking Lot Party hosted
by the Associated Builders and
Contractors (ABC), American
Subcontractors
Association
(ASA), the Builders Exchange
of Texas (BXTX) and the Virtual
Builders Exchange (VBX).
Architectural Division 8
fired up the grill and cooked
fajitas for the crowd of 300plus in the Builders Exchange
parking lot. Drawings were
held for prizes during the free
event. –kf
L-R: Matt Woltersdorf, L&M Steel; Scott
White and Tom Quintero, IBTX Risk
Management Services
L-R: Lynnie Brown, Apache Express, Rudy Garza,
Apache Disposal, Victor Garza, Apache Express
Brandon Fraile, VBX, interviews Babet Motes,
Alamo Crane, for a spot on ConstrucTUBE.
Page 5
New arrivals
L-R: Joe Toscano, Gary Shuler, Kenny Hahn and LeRoy Belzung. Not pictured is Ellery Francisco.
W
eldinghouse, a full service welding supply company, opened a
new location in San Antonio in
March, but there is nothing new about
the staff’s experience in the industry.
“Our San Antonio staff has over 100
years of combined experience to assist
you,” said Gary Shuler, region manager.
The staff also includes Leroy Belzung,
store manager; Kenny Hahn, welding
technology specialist; Ellery Francisco,
sales manager; and Joe Toscano, driver.
Weldinghouse started in Corpus
Christi in 1983, with a focus on welding
machine and gas apparatus repair, and
expanded from there into the sale of
used equipment and rental of welding
and fabrication equipment.
“Weldingouse owners, Steve Burke
and Gary Gray, set a goal to offer fullservice welding supply to customers, and
in 2009 finished the expansion of their
Cylinder Gas Fill Plant adding the latest in
technology and design to support our
growing cylinder gas business,” Shuler
said. “Cylinder balance management is a
constant problem with most suppliers,
leaving customers stuck with over-paying cylinder rent monthly, due to incorrect balances,” Shuler said. “Weldinghouse uses a portable bar coding computer with each driver, that provides a
closed inventory system that eliminates
this problem.” Weldinghouse in San Antonio also
handles welding machine and torch repair and rental.
The San Antonio location on Southeast Loop 410 is the third for Weldinghouse. The original Corpus location
serves as the corporate headquarters,
and the company has since expanded
into the Valley to Pharr, TX. Weldinghouse is a welding supply and
industrial gas supplier. –kf
All in good fun
A
fter last year’s frog
strangler of a golf
tournament, players
in the San Antonio Chapter
of the National Association
of Women in Construction
(NAWIC) 2010 tournament
were hoping for some
good Texas spring weather.
They got their wish.
Not only did clear skies prevail at Canyon Springs Golf
Course Apr. 30, but NAWIC
had the largest turnout in
the history of the chapter,
according to Jennifer Swinney, NAWIC
president.
“The players seemed to have a great
time, and everyone left with the knowledge that ‘What happens on Hole 15
stays on Hole 15!’”
Swinney also noted that among the
156 players were four all-women teams.
This year a “Thank You for Playing
Award” was presented to Dead Last
Place. Nowhere close to winning were
Dana Calonge, Alterman; Celeste Estep,
Keller Martin Construction, and Chris
Stroman, (student).
Winners are: 1st Place Men’s Team: Jerry Edler, Patriot
Builders;
Rusty
Berlint,
Patriot
Builders;Mike Hollaway, Mike Hollaway
Custom Homes; Kevin Hayes, Gillette Air
Conditioning
1st Place Women’s Team: Aleisha Knochenhauer, Arias & Associates; Eva
Ramirez, Jaster Quintanilla; Deborah Gick
and Jennifer Peters Weston Solutions
2nd Place: IBC Bank Team – Mike Wallace,
Thomas Hoerner, P.J. Crane and Clay Morrow
3rd Place: Urban Concrete – Brent Lane,
Walker Workman, Mike Malone and Mark
Anderson –kf
Thank You For Playing Award
Special delivery
A
The staff at DEA headquarters
fter 26 years in business DEA Specialties Company, Ltd. in San Antonio still gets occasional phone
calls for the government agency with a
similar name.
“A lot of people think we are the drug
enforcement agency, but we are not,”
says Diane Alberthal, CEO. “We get calls
and mail for them: ‘I am on my last dime
in the phone booth! Please, I am seeing
something go down!’”
Although DEA Specialties can’t help
with an enforcement situation, the company can supply and install select Division 8, 10, 11, and 12 products for construction projects in Central and South
Texas. Founded in 1984 by Diane and
David Alberthal, “DEA” represents both
Diane’s and David’s initials. The company
started out in their home with just one
line of partition wall products.
“About two years later we took our
first office off of Mainland,” Diane said.
“From there we hired our first five employees – four installers and one office
manager, and our first real big job was
the Marriott River Center Hotel.”
Today the company owns five acres
off of Highway 90 with a 20,000-sf warehouse and 5,000-sf of offices that housed
a former trucking company. The building
was gutted and refaced, and many of the
products DEA Specialties sells were installed in the building to showcase what
they provide.
“One of the nice things about this
company is the tenure of the people,”
said Greg Uhlig, chief operating officer.
“The average tenure is 9.1 years from the
20 some-odd employees.”
DEA rotates executives through the
president’s position to develop leadership and management. Peter Mills was
recently named president after serving
as vice president for 10 years, and as a
project manager and estimator for 15
years. David Oliver, vice president,
served recently as president.
Al Neubauer is the vice president of
Field Operations; Rhonda Daniels is
chief financial officer; and Susan Moore
serves as secretary.
DEA Specialties Company, Ltd. is a construction specialty contractor. –kf
Page 6
we would go to the galley and have food
from all over the world. That was kind of
our treat.
Jim Westbrook
Westbrook Engineering
J
im Westbrook, owner of Westbrook
Engineering, chose a career in engineering instead of a career in commercial art because of the financial stability it would provide his future family.
Over the years he has discovered it
was the correct decision, but not because
of the financial rewards. Westbrook has
found that being able to help people is
far more fulfilling than any dollar amount
deposited in the bank.
Although his company takes on
large, high-profile projects, he still finds
time to consult on the smaller residential
jobs and takes time to inspire students to
enter the world of construction.
Above all, Westbrook looks to his
faith as an anchor for all areas of his life
and a tool for service to others.
Where did you spend your childhood?
I was born in Beaumont, TX and
raised up and down the eastern coast.
Tell me about your dad.
My dad was a construction worker.
He was a welder and pipe fitter.
His name was Sidney Hamilton Westbrook, but because he was a tall, string
bean of a guy, out on the construction
jobs most guys just knew him as Slim.
Dad was from East Texas but Mom,
Marjorie Bell Allie Westbrook, was from
Tennessee. Since he was a Union welder,
we just followed construction work up
and down the eastern United States. I averaged a different school every year.
Was this a good thing?
I look back and I think it probably
helped me. I was the oldest of five kids,
and if that’s where Dad went, that’s just
part of life.
I think it played a big part in shaping
who I am. Because when you are out
there and you have to make new friends
and find your way, you have to become
to some degree, self-reliant.
I kind of envied some of my friends
who still had friends they started with in
kindergarten. I had friends, but they are
scattered all over the United States.
What was your first job?
One of the earliest I remember was in
Beaumont, TX. My best friend and I did
some work for a commercial laundry. At
night we would go out to the shipyards.
We would unload the laundry from
ships from all over the world. After we finished loading and unloading the laundry,
I understand your father passed away
while the family was living in Chicago.
What happened then?
After I was in the eighth or ninth
grade they shipped us back here to Beaumont. I finished high school there and
then I had to get off the family coattail
and purse string, because when Dad died
Mom had to go to work.
She went to school and got her LVN
degree and then she supported all five
kids herself. She would work at night as a
nurse, from 11-7, and then when we got
off to school she would sleep.
When I got out of high school, there
was no money and no desire for college,
so I spent four years in the Air Force. That
is a long way of telling you that it was
probably one of the smarter things I ever
did.
It did two things for me. One, it gave
me the money to go to college with the
GI Bill, and the second, it gave me the gut
drive to get a degree. Even if the degree
had to be in basket weaving or whatever,
I was going to get a degree.
I saw the difference between the officers and the enlisted. I went to Lamar
University in Beaumont.
What was your focus in college?
Almost until registration day, I was
going to go into commercial art. I always
have had an interest in art. I looked
around and thought that was kind of an
iffy profession, because you start at the
bottom and it is very competitive.
What changed your mind?
The smaller this world gets the more
you are going to have to rely on engineers to figure out what to do with the
people. My two best friends were engineers. I like being outdoors, and I like being around construction, and I like to create things.
What was your first engineering job?
I had this degree in civil engineering
and specialized in the field of structural.
I wound up going to work in the natural gas transmission business. They had
an opening with East Tennessee Natural
Gas in Knoxville, TN. Being a small company up there you had to wear a lot of
hats, and that’s what I wanted to do and
learn all about the business.
I did that for a few years and stayed
in the gas transmission business. That
brought me back to Houston.
I was approached by a new company
that was forming here in San Antonio,
and was asked to come to work for them
as a pipeline engineer. I thought this
would be interesting to get in on the
ground floor of a new up and coming
company. I think this company is going to
make it. You may have heard of them.
They are called Valero.
It was good. I enjoyed working with
Valero, but in the 80s when the bottom
dropped out, I was one of the thousands
of casualties. After I got laid off, I worked
as facilities engineer for San Antonio
Housing Authority.
I left SAHA, and I was trying to figure
out what I was going to do, and people
started asking me to do things, and they
asked how to make the check out. I said,
“I don’t know, Westbrook Engineering, I
guess.”
It just happened. I didn’t start out to
start my own business. It just evolved.
What type of work did you start out
doing?
Back then they would have me look
at structures – a garage that needed
framing designs; drainage problems;
foundations; small projects. It evolved
from that.
What type of work do you do now?
I guess the scope has really increased. We still do a lot of the same
things. That is maybe the reason we stay
as busy as we do because we take on a lot
of stuff that many engineers don’t do.
People need engineering direction
and I know we can do it. So, I should give
it an effort – everything from approval of
patio designs, and playhouses . . . I was
the demolition engineer taking down the
Texas Stadium – and everything in between.
I guess you were there when they demolished it.
Yes. I was also the demolition engineer that took down the old Spurs Arena
when it was over there by the Tower of
the Americas. We have done one in Austin and one in Dallas. It amazes me how
word gets out.
And, like myself he matured a lot in
those five years. When he came back, after doing a year in Iraq, he was a different
person.
He’s got two kids and a great little
family. He is about three months away
from finishing his business degree
through correspondence. He has been
working 40 hours a week and being a father too. His wife’s name is Heather and
the kids are McKenzie and Zachary. Do I
sound proud?
Were you able to spend much time
with your son when he was growing
up?
We did a lot of camping. We started
out in Cub Scouts, and I worked with the
Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and finished with
Eagle Scouts.
It’s good that we did that, because
having a company, I have the tendency to
spend a lot of time here. So every week I
went to the meetings with him, and once
a month we went on the camping trips.
He and I can sit around and talk about all
kinds of stuff. That’s a very important
bond.
You said you got married when you
were in college?
Yes, I was entirely too young. I had
known Beverly back in high school, and
she was in the band. We have been married for 43 years.
Beverly is sort of retired now. She
left Bradfield Properties, and she is being
the housewife now, which is fine with me.
What are your interests or hobbies?
I spend a lot of time here, but I am
looking at changing that. As an owner I
don’t need to spend as much time here. I
just hired two new employees.
I go to the gym three or four times a
week. I am not into hunting, fishing and
all that stuff. I don’t have the time, the
money or the interest.
I am pretty involved in church work
at CBC – Community Bible Church. It’s a
big church, but the point I always want to
get across is that CBC is made up of a lot
of small groups, and mine is one of them.
I have a group that meets here every Saturday morning. It’s a men’s Bible study
fellowship.
Do you and Beverly have children?
We have one son, Brent Lane Westbrook. He was like me. He was out of
school, bounced around, did a year and a
half in college, and really wasn’t sure
what he wanted to do. He did five years in
the Marines.
Is there something you haven’t done
that you’ve always wanted to do?
Oh, Heavens yes! I would like to see
more of the world. It’s a huge world out
there. I would head up to Colorado. I
would also like to go to Northern California. Beautiful country out there. –kf
Page 7
Executive director announced
S
an Antonio native Tomas Larralde recently joined the Hispanic Contractors Association de San Antonio (HCA)
as executive director, and he believes both
his political and educational experience
will be an asset to the association.
“In politics I was the chief of staff for
Senator Carlos Uresti, and I was chief of
staff also for Congressman Ciro Rodriguez, both on the south side, and spent a
lot of time there.”
Larralde graduated from Robert E.
Lee High School and the University of
Texas in Austin. He received a master’s
degree in public policy from Harvard University.
His first position was as a professor
teaching government classes at Palo Alto
College in San Antonio. He worked on
political campaigns and was offered a
position at the Texas State Capitol, working with Sen. Gregory Luna where he
learned the management part of politics.
Larralde would later become the assistant to Dr. Ricardo Romo, the president
of the University of Texas at San Antonio.
His construction ties began at the
University of Texas. “One of the things I
did was become the HUB director for the
UT System. They were doing a lot of construction around the state. We spent a
lot of time on minority contracting and
women-owned businesses. That is when
I met the HCA.”
Thomas Larralde
Larralde feels that becoming executive director is a good way of contributing back. He is spending time meeting all
the members of HCA and talking to them
about what benefits they need.
“Our goal is not only give them educational training, but help them build
their companies. All of them have a different set of needs and this goes from startups to the big GCs. We are doing a lot of
different things like safety training, but
we are also looking at ways to bring the
GCs and the subs together to help both.”
Larralde spends his free time with his
wife, Yvonne, and their three children:
Miranda, 12; Maya, 9; and Anthony, 8. –kf
Preserving history
L-R: Rollette Schreckenghost, Louis Romano, Carole Romano and Chris Turner
Photo by Paul Overstreet/Overstreet Studios
T
he San Antonio Conservation Society paid tribute to historic preservation at the 50th Biennial Historic
Preservation Awards May 14 at the Main
Street Ballroom.
The winning projects represent a
cross section of commercial, public and
residential buildings.
“Renovating and rehabilitating these
types of properties is a true labor of love,
and these awards are our way of rewarding and encouraging such preservation
and rehabilitation efforts,” said Rollette
Schreckenghost, president of the San Antonio Conservation Society. –kf
SoFlo Architects Office Campus/Beddell
Trailer Company, 1512 S. Flores Street
Magnificent SoFlo Seven, LLC Project architect: Alamo Architects and
OCO Architects
Pearl Brewery Smokestack, 312 Pearl
Parkway
Silver Ventures, LLC
Project architect: Jeffrey Fetzer
Stinson Municipal Airport Administration
Building, 8535 Mission Road
City of San Antonio
Project architect: Terry Palmer
Karger Bulding, 723 High Street, Comfort, TX. – Bobby Dent and Joey Story
Preservation Building Awards
John Batot House, 108 Barrera Street
Peter and Lyn Selig
Project architect: Jim Poteet
Frank Bradford House, 421 Cedar Street
Elizabeth Llanas
Project architect: José Garcia DeLara
Hornbuckle Residence, 502 Corona
Carrla Hornbuckle
Project architect: Jerry Lammers
Juen House, 625 Shook Avenue
John and Florence Newman Foundation
Project architect: Don B. McDonald
1225 South Presa Street
Presa Gardens, LLC
Project architect: Darryl Ohlenbusch
Special Recognition Award:
San Antonio River – Museum Reach, 1.33
miles from Lexington Avenue to Josephine Street – City of San Antonio, Bexar
County, San Antonio River Authority, and
San Antonio River Foundation
Texas Preservation Hero Awards:
Félix D. Almaráz, Jr., Ph.D., James Lifshutz,
Paula Allen, Susan Toomey Frost,
Sylvia Navarro Tillotson
Lynn Ford Craftsman Award:
Kathleen Trenchard
The Amanda Cartwright Taylor Award:
David Carter
Page 8
Subfest supreme
First Place Mystery Meat, Alterman
Allbrite Construction took First Place awards in Beans, Chicken and Ribs categories
A
smoke cloud could be seen for
miles around Raymond Russell
Park in San Antonio Apr. 30, but no
one called the fire department.
The grills were in full gear for the annual American Subcontractors Association (ASA) Barbecue Cook-off and Subfest.
More than 400 people enjoyed dinner, silent and live auctions and the music
of the After Midnight Blues Band. –kf
Cook-off winners are:
Best Camp: Tino’s Welding
Best Beans: Big Buck’s Cookers,
Allbrite Construction
Mystery Meat
1st: The Beefmasters, Alterman
2nd: The Sabinal Group
Chicken
1st: Big Buck Cookers,
2nd: Advanced Door Control
Ribs
1st: Big Buck Cookers,
2nd: Dulaney S.E.A.L.S.
Brisket
1st: MAPCO
2nd: Smokin’ & Chokin’, Structuretone
First Place Camp, Tino’s Welding
First Place Brisket, MAPCO
Rob Horton, Quality Fence & Welding
What was your
first car?
A Monte Carlo SS 1985 model – it was fast
and I loved it.
Lance Hall, ASCO Texana Machinery
Mine was not very exciting: pale yellow,
1982 Nissan Sentra. Michelle Seward Davis,
Joeris General Contractors, Ltd.
I had a 1977 Trans Am. Daddy paid for it
and it was fast – Pearl white, candy-apple
red interior and T-top.
Wendy Jenkins, MAPCO, Inc.
1976 SS El Camino.
Scott Cardwell, Ferguson
I never had a car in my life. I bought several of them for wives and ex-wives, but I
never owned one. I had a 1956 Ford truck.
Raymond Jenkins, MAPCO, Inc.
A ‘78 Chevy Monte Carlo.
Marcelo Orta,
DIO Electrical Contractors
It was a Grenada, but the “A” fell off and
they wrote “E” and people called it The
Grenade.
Richard Guerrero,
DIO Electrical Contractors
My first car was a dark blue Cutlass Supreme,
two door. Don’t remember the model year,
but bought it used in 1985. I was so proud
because I paid cash for it – $5,000 I had
saved working during summers!
Angela Cardwell,
My first car was a 1966 Volkswagen Beetle.
It was a cool car. I loved it even if I got it
when it was already 12 years old at the
time (1978). It was in great condition, except the paint had oxidized and needed a
new paint job – which I got, but . . . the
paint chip I chose was not what ended up
on the car. I chose burgundy, but the color
actually turned out to be a bit more on the
purple side- thus, it looked like a “grape.” Vickie Banks,
A 1971 Volkswagen. You could hide more
beer in that than you could shake a stick
at. It was blue.
Steve White, Americrane
A silver 200 SX Nissan. I loved it. I got my
first ticket in it.
Dana Hickman,
Associated Builders and Contractors
A Toyota Celica. Because that’s what Dad
bought me.
R.C. Contreras, Trico Lift
A ’61 Plymouth. Ugliest car in the world.
Beryl Vetters, P.J. Industries
It was a Capri, 1986. It was my mom’s car.
Hank Perez, M&M Metals
A ’64 Comet.
Rick Johnson, M&M Metals
’72 Cutlass Olds – because my father
passed it down to me.
Patti Coley, NEC Signage & Products
1966 Impala. I got it from my boyfriend’s
father who sold it to me at $50 a month.
Barbara Ellis, 3TI
A ’54 Ford. I bought it for $45 and I drove
it home.
Rick Fulks, Mills Brothers Masonry
Page 9
Lightning round
F
First Place team
unny thing about thunderstorms. You can’t play golf with
lightning striking around you.
The San Antonio Masonry Contractors Association (SAMCA) tournament in April was rescheduled for
May 13, and good weather prevailed
for final play at the Republic Golf
Course.
Along with lunch, dinner and
door prizes, participants took a
chance on a Golf Ball Drop. Andy Cordova, C&S Contractors, won the $500
prize. –kf
Golf winners are:
1st: Alamo Cement – Jeff Windham,
Christian Snethkamp, Rhett Morrow,
Ricardo Perez
Maria Rodriguez, Equipment Depot, and Ed
2nd: David Gonzales, Headwaters;
Allan, H&E Equipment, on the boom doing the
Greg West and Steve Kenney, JDK AsGolf Ball Drop
sociates; Tim Theis, Theis Engineering
3rd: Heath Breedlove, Rick Corso and BriLongest Drive: Davey Luna, Champion
an Hammond, United Rentals; BJ BaerGlass
tich, Associated Glass
Straightest Drive: Jeff Windham, Alamo
Closest to the Pin: Peter Villa, Target
Cement
Building Supply
Gayle Lewis
1958-2010
Gayle Lewis, co-owner of Lone Star
State Mechanical, Inc., passed away Apr.
14. She was a successful business owner,
wife and mother. She is survived by husband, Robert L. Lewis, and their three
children, Rojji Kate Lewis, Robert James
Lewis and Mitchell Walter Lewis.
The Lewis’ celebrated their 24th
wedding anniversary on Apr. 4.
Lewis was a 1976 graduate of Plainview High School and grew up on a farm
in the Texas Panhandle.
“She was proud to be a Texan and was fond of all things Texas, especially the
Horny Toad!” said her husband, Robert. He said Gayle loved the outdoors and
though she didn't hunt, she never missed a hunting or fishing trip with him. Lewis started her mechanical career with Tezel & Cotter Air Conditioning in
1981. She and Robert started Lone Star State Mechanical, Inc. in 1990.
Celebration of life service for Lewis was held at Porter Loring Apr. 17, and the
gravesite service was at Hill Country Memorial Gardens in Comal County.
Construction News ON LOCATION
Track star
Daine Hughes prepares for a day in the shop at Track Pro on Highway 181 in
San Antonio, keeping equipment in shape for the construction industry. –kf
AJ Heidelberg and Tom Sanchez, Guido Brothers Construction; Curtis Hunt, Curtis Hunt
Restorations; and Albert Gutierrez, Guido Brothers Construction,
practice for the “Straightest Drive” competition.
Bonding moment
Harding-Conley-Drawert-Tinch Insurance Agency, Inc. (HCDT) provides bonds
and commercial insurance to the construction industry.
Front row, L-R: Elly Castillo, Rose Poettgen and Lisa Tafolla;
Back row, L-R: Paul Poettgen, Maryanna Christensen and Rick Jeter. –kf
Page 10
Protect yourself against fraud
Tim Riley, Vice President for Special Investigations
Texas Mutual Insurance Company
Austin, TX
T
he majority of workers’ compensation claims filed in
Texas and other states stem from real instances of
on-the-job injuries. Unfortunately, people who cheat
the system drive up costs for employers, consumers and insurers.
Fraud is lying for financial gain—
with claimant fraud being the most common type. Claimant fraud happens when
workers:
1) Fake or exaggerate injuries.
2) Collect benefits for injuries that were
not work-related.
3) Continue to collect benefits after returning to work.
4) Engage in activities that are inconsistent with their injuries.
As a corporate executive once noted,
if workers’ comp fraud were a legitimate
business in the United States, it would
rank among the Fortune 500 companies.
The Texas Department of Insurance notes
that insurance fraud is the second most
profitable crime after drug trafficking.
The latest statistics from the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud estimates
that workers’ compensation premiums,
taxes and other expenses reached $557
million in 2008. Protecting against fraud
has many rewards. Previously, the California Insurance Department reported that
every $1 invested in workers’ compensation anti-fraud efforts has returned $6.17,
which totaled $260.3 million in 2006-07
alone.
Companies need to pay close attention to red flags that help detect possible
workers’ comp fraud. If you encounter
two or more of these situations, it is best
to contact your insurer:
• A tip from a credible source, such as an
 Location

Location
 Location
 Location
Publishing the Industry’s News . . .
TEXAS Style
employee of your company.
• A new or disgruntled worker.
• There is no witness to an alleged injury.
• Inconsistent or illogical descriptions of
how an injury occurred.
• Difficulty in contacting an injured worker.
• An injured worker who’s upset when he
or she is contacted.
• A suspicious injury occurring on a Monday or Friday.
Some insurance carriers write off
workers’ comp fraud as merely a cost of
doing business. Other companies—such
as Texas Mutual—take a zero tolerance
approach to combating employee fraud.
Texas Mutual employs three teams of experienced, full-time investigators who
take fraud claims with the utmost seriousness. Workers’ comp fraud can be curtailed if employers, insurers and others
are vigilant about this type of crime.
Tim Riley is Vice President for Special
Investigations for Texas Mutual Insurance
Company. Austin-based Texas Mutual Insurance Company is the leading provider of
workers’ compensation insurance in Texas.
For more information about workers’ comp
fraud, visit www.texasmutual.com/fraud/
fightfraud.shtm. –dn
Dallas/Fort. Worth
Austin
San Antonio
Houston
Home Office
(210) 308-5800
Contractor tax considerations
for tax savings
Jay Siegel
Shelton & Van Houten, LLP
Round Rock, TX
T
ax savings for contractors in these tough times is important. This article summarizes some potential tax
savings for contractors.
Depreciation and certain capital expenditures
The 2009 Tax Act extends 50 percent
bonus depreciation for certain property
purchased and used before January 1,
2010 and certain property placed in service before January 1, 2011. However, as
with bonus depreciation, certain property placed in service after January 1, 2010,
but before January 1, 2011, will only receive bonus depreciation on costs incurred prior to January 1, 2010. Also, the
maximum expensing of capital purchases in 2009 is $250,000 reduced dollar for
dollar by the amount which capital purchases exceed $800,000 and cannot exceed taxable income.
S Corporation built-in gains tax relief
Many contractors converted from C
corporations to S corporations for federal
tax purposes. The 2009 Act provides
some relief for built-in-gains tax. The
built-in-gains holding period for 2010 is
temporarily reduced from ten years to
seven years. The resulting benefit provides C corporations that converted to S
corporations status in tax year 2003 (2003
plus seven years is 2010) the ability to sell
certain assets held when a C corporation.
(Examples include goodwill and fixed assets.)
The tax savings is taxed at the highest corporate tax rate, although some
benefit is received as the tax deduction is
passed through the to the S corporation
shareholders. However, cash is cash and a
tax deduction can sit in second place to
cash.
Income tax basis reporting versus
generally accepted accounting principles
Certain benefits exist in using financial statement income tax reporting as
opposed to financial statement reporting
under generally accepted accounting
principles. The main benefit of income
tax basis reporting is that some of the
rules and disclosures required under
generally accepted accounting principles
are not required or are minimized by income tax basis reporting.
Examples of some of the benefits of
income tax basis reporting are that certain related or affiliated entities do not
require consolidation, income tax depreciation is allowed, certain loss reserves
and deferred tax reporting are not required.
Another factor to consider is certain
third parties such as government agencies may not accept tax basis financial
statements. The key is to check with all
key third parties such as financial institutions, insurance or bonding entities before any change to income tax basis reporting is considered.
Federal manufacturing credits
Although manufacturing is not always thought of in the same context,
construction, architectural and engineering services are included in the definition
of manufacturing activity. The manufacturing credit is 6 percent in 2009 and increases to 9 percent in 2010. Qualification
can include parts assembly even if there
is no “actual” manufacture and could include subcontractors such as electricians,
plumbers, remodel contractors remodelers and roofers.
Cashing in on unused AMT and research and development credits
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 expanded the rules
of the prior 2008 tax act by allowing corporations to “cash out” unexpired pre2006 alternative minimum tax (AMT) and
research and development credits by
electing out of the 50 percent bonus depreciation. Corporations that have been
operating at a tax loss or subject to AMT
are likely to benefit from the potential 6
percent refundable credit. In brief, the
cash credit potential is calculating bonus
depreciation less depreciation excluding
bonus depreciation multiplied by 20 percent.
In closing, don’t shoot the messenger, but all signs point to taxes increasing
in the coming years so think about taking
the advantages now and store a little
money away for the rainy tax days to
come.
This is only an overview of complex
rules and is not intended for specific purposes. A qualified CPA should be sought
who can apply your specific situation to
the tax laws.
Jay Siegel is a Certified Public Accountant with Shelton & Van Houten, LLP a full
service audit, tax and consulting firm in
Round Rock, Texas which also services a
broad range of construction industry clients. Contact him at 1.512.310.9277 ext. 103
or email jays@sheltoncpa.com. –dn
Page 11
OSHA
Contractors beware!
CGL policy endorsements
may delete significant coverage
Cindy Holub, Partner
Porter & Hedges, L.L.P.
Houston, TX
I
once heard someone describe an insurance policy as a
maze with the policy proceeds as the cheese and the
policyholders as the mice. The policyholders are trying to navigate their way through
the maze-like insurance policy and find the insurance proceeds. Each time the mice
find the cheese, the insurance companies attempt to plug the hole in the maze with
another policy form or endorsement that makes it more difficult for the mice to find
the cheese. A simple glance at a standard commercial general liability (CGL) policy
reveals the accuracy of this analogy. Generally, a CGL policy provides coverage for
covered damages that the policyholder must pay to a third party because of property
damage, bodily, personal or advertising injury. The policy provisions explaining which
losses are covered take up less than one page. The remainder of the voluminous policy consists of exclusions, limitations, definitions, conditions, and often times, exclusionary endorsements that delete significant coverage.
Frequently, insurance carriers are attaching exclusionary endorsements to
CGL policies which dramatically reduce
the available coverage under an unmodified policy form. One such onerous endorsement precludes coverage for “subsidence.” In this endorsement, subsidence does not mean ordinary settlement
as the construction industry thinks of it.
Instead, “subsidence” is so broadly defined in the endorsement that any claim
that has anything whatsoever to do with
any movement or shifting of dirt is not
covered. Such an exclusion could prove
disastrous for any contractor involved
with grading, excavating, or underground utility work because claims
against these contractors could likely be
related, in some way, to earth movement.
These contractors, and general contractors whose scope includes items where
dirt movement is involved, should not accept this type of endorsement.
Another exclusion which is being
added to CGL policies is one that takes
away valuable coverage a contractor has
if it uses subcontractors to perform its
scope of work. The standard CGL policy
excludes coverage for damages that arise
out of “your work.” “Your work” is broadly defined to mean work or operations
performed by, or on behalf of, the policyholder, and materials, parts or equipment
furnished in connection with such work
or operations. Although the standard
CGL policy excludes coverage for property damage to “your work”, this exclusion does not apply if the work out of
which the damage arose was performed
on the policyholder’s behalf by a subcontractor. In order to avoid paying for construction defect claims, insurers are attaching endorsements that delete this
exception for work done by subcontractors. If you are a contractor of any tier,
you do not want this type of endorsement on your CGL policy.
A third example of an exclusionary
endorsement to be wary of is an endorsement which modifies the contractual liability coverage provided by the typical
CGL policy. If you have agreed to an enforceable indemnity agreement with another party and that party seeks indemnity from you for a third party claim
against it for bodily injury or property
damage, your CGL policy’s contractual liability coverage is what will respond to
the claim, provided that the third party
claim is a claim that would otherwise be
covered under your policy. An insurer
can delete this coverage, which is extremely important in the construction
industry, simply by attaching a contractual liability limitation endorsement to
the policy which eliminates coverage for
the type of indemnity agreements that
are commonly included in construction
contracts. The significance of this endorsement often goes unnoticed because contractual liability coverage is not
set forth in a specific coverage grant of
the policy. Instead, one must look at the
definition of “insured contract” as used in
an exception to an exclusion for contractual liability to determine what indemnity agreements are covered. A contractual liability limitation endorsement may
simply alter the definition of “insured
contract” and thereby delete the contractor’s coverage for its indemnity obligations.
Construction is risky business. Contractors manage their risks by allocating
them in the contracts and obtaining insurance to cover the insurable risks.
Many of us never read our insurance policies until a loss occurs. At this point, it is
too late. In order to avoid the surprise of
not having coverage when you need it
OSHA’s revision to the
penalty structure
Joann Natarajan, Compliance Assistance Specialist
OSHA
Austin, TX
T
he time frame for considering an employer’s history
of violations will expand from 3 years to five years.
An employer who has been inspected by OSHA within
the previous five years and has no serious, willful, repeat, or failure to abate violations
will receive a 10 percent reduction for history. An employer who has been cited by
OSHA for any high gravity serious, willful, repeat, or failure to abate violation within
the previous five years will receive a 10 percent increase in their penalty, up to the
statutory maximum. Employers who have not been inspected and employers who
have received citations for serious violations that were not high gravity will receive
neither a reduction nor an increase for history.
The time period for repeated violations
will also be increased from three to five
years. Area Directors will retain the authority to determine if a size or history
reduction should be granted. Area Directors will be authorized to offer up to a 30
percent penalty reduction to employers
at an informal conference, any reduction
over 30 percent will require Regional Administrator approval. Area Directors will
be authorized to offer an employer with
250 or fewer employees and additional
20 percent reduction if that employer
agrees to retain an outside safety and
health consultant. OSHA will no longer
allow penalty adjustments to an employer at an informal conference where the
employer has an outstanding penalty
balance owed to OSHA from a prior inspection. This provision would not apply
to employers on a penalty payment plan
who is making timely payments.
Area Offices that utilize the expedited informal settlement agreement will be limited to offering a 30 percent reduction. If
the employer commits to hiring an outside consultant, the Area Director may
grant an additional 20 percent reduction.
most, contractors should verify that neither their policies, nor those of their subcontractors, contain exclusionary endorsements that delete significant coverage for construction site risks.
Cindy Holub is a partner in the litigation section of Porter & Hedges. Her practice
focuses on construction and insurance coverage disputes and has represented both
plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety
of litigation. She can be reached at 713-2266607 or cholub@porterhedges.com –dn
OSHA will be adopting a gravity based
penalty determination that provides for a
gravity based penalty between $3000
and $7000. The minimum base penalty
will increase from $1500 to $3000 before
size, history, and good faith adjustments
are made, with a resulting minimum proposed penalty of $500. The proposed
minimum penalty for a posting violation
will increase to $250 if the company was
previously provided a poster by OSHA.
The final penalties will be applied serially,
unlike the present practice of in which all
the penalty reductions are added and
then the total percentage is multiplied by
the gravity based penalty to arrive at the
proposed penalty.
The OSHA memo that explains the
changes to the penalty structure can be
accessed at eh following link:
https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=NEWS_
RELEASES&p_id=17544
natarajan.joann@dol.gov
512-374-0271 x232
Whatever
your
life’s work is,
do it well.
Page 12
Safe keeping
It’s not us!
L-R: Mike Gaither and Brian Constantino, United Rentals in Von Ormy,
explain equipment safety procedures.
eaders of Construction News
have brought to our attention
two issues that we want to address.
First, is the solicitation for reprints/plaques of articles in our papers, which range from $200-$400.
It appears that when Construction News publishes an article in one
of our publications, someone later
calls back to sell reprints in expensive frames or plaques.
It’s not us! We do not call back
or solicit anyone in our newspapers
for reprints. We provide digital reprints for $42 (unframed), and we
offer those only in an ad in our papers – we do not call anyone.
When a reader contacts us via
email about a reprint, we will return
by email an information sheet on
how to obtain additional papers,
rack locations, and reprints offered
by request only.
Second, we do not charge for
articles printed in Construction News.
Each editor in Austin, Dallas /
Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio contacts companies to set up
interviews and writes “good news”
stories about the business. While
many of our readers believe that our
stories are worth a million bucks, we
don’t charge one red cent, nor do
we ask for your subcontractor list.
There are independent companies throughout the country that
solicit stories for a fee and sell reprints of other publication articles.
We are not connected with or make
any referrals to these companies.
–rd/dn
R
T
iming was right for the Hispanic
Contractors de San Antonio Safety
Fair May 14-15.
HCA partnered with the Alamo Colleges to hold the annual free event at the
Palo Alto College campus on West Villaret, which just completed the end of the
Spring semester.
“We had the campus to ourselves
and we were able to use the parking lot
and the facilities,” said Tomas Larralde,
HCA executive director. It has allowed us
to have a lot of flexibility.”
In addition to the classrooms, Larralde said the parking lot was available for
hands-on equipment demonstrations
throughout the safety fair.
Another plus was the SpawGlass jobsite on campus. SpawGlass gave safety
demonstrations at an excavation site,
Larralde said.
The free training event included a
10-Hour OSHA Certification, lunch on Friday, and breakfast on Saturday for close
to 300 construction industry participants.
Classes included Spanish only and English only instruction.
“We have had OSHA come out to
visit, some of the local guys, re-emphasized what we were visiting about and
they also visited the Spanish class,” Larralde said. “They are very excited and very
supportive.
Instructors for the classes volunteered their time, according to Larralde.
“There are a lot of folks that teamed up
and worked hard.” –kf
Give us a call, or
email your editor
if you would like
your company and/or
personnel to be
in an upcoming issue.
Kathie Fox
saeditor@
constructionnews.net
Hands-on training included a SpawGlass excavation site on campus.
210-308-5800
fax 210-308-5960
Page 13
Current legislative trends
in immigration
Deere in the spotlight
Submitted by
Richard A. Gump, Jr.
The Law Offices of Richard A. Gump, Jr.
Dallas, TX
T
he need for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) has never been
greater than it is right now. During
his campaign, President Obama promised to push Congress to tackle the issue
of CIR. Congress has failed to make progress towards CIR and states have begun
to take immigration matters into their
own hands.
On April 23, 2010, the Governor of
Arizona signed a bill titled “Support Our
Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act” (SB1070). Simply stated, the
law makes it a misdemeanor for anyone
who is unable to prove lawful residence
in the U.S. upon request, and requires police to make a reasonable attempt, when
practical, to determine immigration status if there is cause to suspect (“reasonable suspicion”) an individual is an illegal
immigrant. It includes a provision specifying that in addition to any violation of
federal law, a person is guilty of trespassing if the person is present on any public
or private land in the state and is not carrying his or her alien registration card or
has willfully failed to register.
What does this mean to Texas employers? Lawmakers in Texas and nine
other states are already considering similar bills.
On April 29, 2010, President Obama
stated:
“The continued failure of the federal
government to fix the broken immigration system will leave the door open to a
patchwork of actions at the state and local level that are inconsistent and as we
have seen recently, often misguided…I
have repeatedly said that there are some
essential components that must be in immigration legislation. It must call for
stronger border security measures,
tougher penalties for employers who
hire illegal immigrants and clearer rules
for controlling future immigration. And it
must require those who are here illegally
to get right with the law, pay penalties
and taxes, learn English, pass criminal
background checks and admit responsibility before they are allowed to get in
line and eventually earn citizenship.”
The risk of losing votes on either side
of the issue has left federal lawmakers reluctant to debate immigration reform
during an election year. The passage of
SB1070 has forced the hand of pro-immigration senators, who fear that other
states may draft and present their own
state immigration laws. Colorado Representative Jared Polis states, “While we
still may not agree on each individual
provision, we have now seen the consequences of inaction.” The proposal, introduced on April 28, 2010 by six U.S. Senators, includes:
• Prevention of future illegal immigration through enhanced border enforcement: This includes the increase of CBP
officers and ICE agents.
• Removal of unlawfully present persons in the U.S. through interior enforcement: Implements a system to monitor
overstays and provides for closer evaluation and monitoring of the Visa Waiver
Program.
• Requiring employers to verify employment authorization through the use
of biometrics: Implements a fraud and
tamper resistant Social Security Card that
includes a photograph and biometrics information. Fines for knowing violations
of the employment verification system,
such as employment of an unauthorized
worker, may increase as much as 300 percent. Employers will also be prohibited
from deducting wages of unauthorized
workers.
• Reform of the current employment
and family visa system: Provides for immediate green cards to foreign students
who obtain an advanced degree from a
U.S. institution of higher education in
specific and who have an offer of employment from any employer in that
field. The H-1B and L-1 visa programs
would be revised; the proposed H-2B AgJOBs bill would be incorporated; and a
new H-2C visa would be added for nonseasonal, non-agricultural workers.
• Registration of the unauthorized
population and providing an opportunity to earn legal status.
Republicans have long supported efforts to increase and strengthen border
security. The proposal’s Democratic authors, knowing the stance of most Republicans, have attempted to sweeten
the proposal by including border and interior enforcement, increasing CBP and
ICE agents, implementing a tighter entry/
exit system to monitor overstays and
monitoring the visa waiver program.
The road to CIR will be a tough battle. As the issue of CIR becomes increasingly contested, significant political and
legislative compromise will be required
for CIR to become a reality.
� The Law Offices
of Richard A. Gump,
Jr. concentrates on
immigration
law,
with a special emphasis on employment immigration.
Gump provides immigration solutions
for companies and
individuals, e.g. temporary and permanent visas, strategic planning from recruitment to retention, worksite enforcement
compliance (audits, training, etc.), and
mergers and acquisitions structuring for
foreign national transfers. �–dn
Dallas/Ft. Worth
San Antonio
Houston
Honor revisited
L-R: David Limon and Elizabeth Garrett, PBK Architects; and
Dan Martinelli, DJM Masonry Enterprises
Every month
people across Texas read
Construction News...
Austin
L-R: Daniel M. Vargas, Fernando Sarabia, Terry Acosta, Jeff Felan and David
Mares, are settled in to the new RDO Equipment Company location on North
Interstate Highway 35 near New Braunfels. –kf
It pays to
advertise!
The Patron of Masonry Award was presented to PBK Architects, Inc. Apr. 28 by
the San Antonio Masonry Contractors Association (SAMCA) during the organization’s monthly luncheon. The honor is reserved for architectural firms for past
and continued use of masonry products in award winning designs.
This is the second time for PBK to receive the award. –kf
Page 14
From fish to Christmas trees
T
Easy being green
The Trico Lift gang
rico Lift, a full-service aerial work
platform company, recently celebrated its one-year anniversary in
San Antonio, and already the company
has a few unusual community projects to
talk about.
In its first few months, Trico Lift participated in the San Antonio River Improvement Project that involved the installation of 25, sunfish sculptures that
now occupy the underpass of IH-35, near
the Hwy. 281 crossover.
Trico Lift donated the use of an aerial
work platform for the artist and crew that
created the sculptures.
In November of 2009 Trico Lift also
donated equipment for the Klecka Electric installation of a giant Christmas tree
at the San Antonio Children’s Shelter.
“As a new local business, we still have
a vested interest in this community and its
development,” said Trico Lift President
Ken Pustizzi. “We know San Antonio is
one of America’s greatest cities and we
were very happy to have had an opportu-
nity to support a cultural program that resulted in a historic beautification project.
“We’re very excited to be celebrating
one year in San Antonio. This is a great city
and region where we continue to build
solid partnerships with our customers.” “We’re really glad to be here to support the development and activities happening throughout the area,” said Billy
Black, branch manager. Black is joined by
equipment market veterans Robert
“R.C.” Contreras and Stan Rothman. –kf
L-R: Dustin Quinney, Chad Jones, Carlos Osuna and James Mata,
at the Sunbelt Rentals location on IH-10 East in San Antonio,
find their place in the sun for a photo. –kf
STEVE SCHULTZ OUTDOORS, LLC
BAFFIN BAY –– LAGUNA MADRE –– LAND CUT
SPECKLED TROUT –– REDFISH –– FLOUNDER
FISHING AND HUNTING TRIPS
(361) 949-7359
www.baffinbaycharters.com
steveschultzoutdoors@gmail.com
Workers attach a 25-ft. metal sunfish
sculpture on the underpass of IH-35.
Photo © Mark Menjivar
U.S. Coast Guard &
Texas Parks and Wildlife Licensed
Page 15
Satisfying your
fishing addiction
Angler Berto Torres landed this 31.5” trout while fishing near Baffin
Bay with Capt. Steve Schultz. Fish will be sent to the taxidermist.
by Capt. Steve Schultz
Sponsored by:
Trans Sport Boats, Yamaha Outboards,
Ronnie’s Marine, Minn Kota Trolling Motors, Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor,
Pure Fishing, Pflueger Reels, All-Star
Rods, Mirr-O-Lure, Bass Assassin, FINS
Braided Line and Columbia Sportswear.
T
he winds have finally calmed down
and the bite has drastically improved in the bay. May fishing has
brought new hope to the slow start we
experienced the beginning of the season. Summer fish patterns are now making fishing seem more like catching and
that’s a good thing. If you haven’t
planned your summer fishing outing yet,
better get on the ball and get it done.
Well it’s a beautiful day out, and
you’re at the coast for a family outing on
the beach. Your buddies have been on
the water since daylight with their favorite guide and you’re stuck spending the
day with the wife and kids. Don’t fret, it’s
not the end of the world, but don’t go to
the beach without your fishing rod. Many
people believe that since there are people everywhere on the beaches that
there are no fish to be caught. This is a
very large misconception. I mean, ideally,
if you plan on fishing you should probably try and find a secluded part of the
beach or a beach that doesn’t get a ton of
traffic. I know what you are thinking –
what beach in the Coastal Bend doesn’t
get a lot of traffic? Well there are places
Randy Wyatt caught and released this 28.5” speck on a recent
Aggerate Haulers Team outing at the coast with
Steve Schultz Outdoors.
that you can go and surf fish and have a
great time, but also catch many fish. You
definitely don’t want to go putting out
shark bait at your local beach where
there are people all around. Be sure to
use good judgment. I don’t think you
would want that on your conscience.
There are many different types of
tackle, rigs, etc, that you can use while
surf fishing. Normally the tackle is larger
than regular boat fishing or pier fishing
tackle. You need a longer rod to be able
to cast past the break of the waves, and
you need larger reels to heave the heavy
tackle as far as you can get it. This is the
case most of the time but not always, depending on location and conditions you
can use your regular spinning gear and it
will be just as effective. The term “surf
tackle,” however, is applied to rather
stout, long-distance casting equipment.
The reason for the long cast is to try and
reach holes or pockets where game fish
may be. Surf rods are usually ranging
Martell Adams of Security State Bank & Trust in San Antonio landed
this 28-inch trout fishing the rocks in Baffin Bay.
Fish was released after photo by Capt. Steve Schultz.
from 8 ft. to 14 ft. or more. The stoutest
of all surf outfits are those used for tossing out bottom rigs with heavy pyramid
sinkers – mainly in quest for red or black
drum. It takes a strong rod to handle five
or six ounces of sinker, and the tips of
these gigantic rods are as thick as your
thumb. Surf specialist agrees that 10 ft.
to 11 ft. is best all around for surf fishing.
Good surf tackle won’t guarantee you a
fish but will help your odds of landing the
fish when they show.
If you’re not equipped with some of
the heavier tackle I’ve mentioned above,
your light bay tackle will satisfy your addiction while the kids body surf the
waves. Mirr-O-Lures and soft plastics
with a 1/4 oz. jig head are most common
wading knee to waist deep in the second
gut. Trout and redfish patrol these guts
trying to ambush mullet which become
disoriented with wave action close to
shore. If you have a portable live well and
oxygen system, stop by the marina and
pick up a few dozen live croakers. You
will probably be surprised on how many
fish you can catch while everyone enjoys
the day at the beach.
To schedule your next bay fishing
trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361949-7359 or 361-813-3716, or e-mail him
at
SteveSchultzOutdoors@gmail.com.
Good Luck and Good Fishing.
Page 16
Ken Milam’s Fishing Line
Sponsored by Tropical Marine and Honda Marine
My name is Ken Milam and, for the past 26 years, I have been guiding fishing trips for striped bass on
Lake Buchanan in the Texas Hill Country. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity of getting to know
a good many folks in the construction trade.
Back at the
dock!
T
onight we got to run our first trip off
our main dock in almost two years. I
can’t tell you how hard it has been
with all the drought months we’ve been
through and seeing that nice, new Spillar
boat dock sitting there aground. We finally got a dock custom made for what
we do and then the lake went dry.
I guess that Lake Buchanan may be
the only lake in Texas to still be lacking
water. We have been helped by the rains,
coming up to within the last 10 ft. of full,
but it is that last 10 ft. that gets the boat
ramps and gas docks and resorts back to
100 percent.
The water has come up over all that
brushy vegetation in the dry lake bottom
and the fishing is getting better with
each passing day. Things are still a little
mixed up, kinda like an elementary
school play where nobody seems to
know where they should be. You go out
bass fishing and slay the crappie. Go out
for stripers and come in with stripers, hybrids, white bass, crappie, largemouth
and catfish. The fish are pretty scattered,
but the one thing they have in common
is THEY’RE HUNGRY!
Another great thing is that this is
spring. The fish are spawning and this
year there is plenty of vegetation to nourish and hide their offspring. That means
we will see the benefit from our drought
recovery for years to come in the way of
good strong sport fish populations living
in a healthy lake.
Another good sign that things are
turning around is that we are beginning
to see some familiar faces coming back to
the lake. You know who you are! It is
good to see you have weathered the
storms of the last several months. Welcome back!
I guess that is the best thing about
hunting and fishing. It doesn’t matter to
the fish what your bank balance is, and
don’t expect a deer to care who sits in the
White House. In this day and time that is
a refreshing attitude to come across. It is
almost like they think we are silly if we do
care. That is why being outside is so
good for us. We need to be reminded
from time to time that our concerns really
don’t amount to a hill of beans in the
grand scheme of things. Even if we can
only briefly catch that outdoor attitude, it
lets us catch our breath and get a little
stronger.
It’s getting late now and I need to
save some room for pictures. Until next
time, “Tight Lines!”
Hilti Corporation
Assorted catches
Sunrise on the main dock the day we got to start using it again.
Quality Custom Decks brought the Streetman guys out fishing.
Half or Full Day Fishing Trips
All Bait, Tackle & Equipment
Furnished
Your catch Filleted and
Bagged for You
Ken Milam Guide Service
(325) 379-2051
www.striperfever.com
Furnish your TPWD Fishing
License & Refreshments,
and WE DO THE REST!
Page 17
Angling for success
B
oatloads of fishermen
from the construction
industry converged
on the Texas Gulf Coast for
the annual Mr. Big Fish Live
Scholarship Tournament
May 1.
Hosted by Niznik Concrete, the 33 boats of anglers vied for prizes to fifth
place. The tournament promotes fish conservation
and helps fund marine biology scholarships at Corpus
Christi A&M University. –kf
Amateur Division
Robert Brown, Brown Excavation and Utilities,
holds his Mr. Big Trout
Three Fish Stringer
1st: Koontz McCombs – Pat
Steele, Barry Vyvlecka, Randy Whitehead,
Pro Division
Henry Serry
2nd: Team Chata – Daniel Garcia, Monica Three Fish Stringer
1st: Ace Scout – David Rowsey, Chad ChilGraham, Anette Garcia, Darren Mota
3rd: LongShots – Jim Forestello, Jess dress, Brian Childress, Robert Brown
2nd: Uno Mas Pescado – Jeff, Spanley,
Hawkins, Kevin Stewart, Darryl Johnson
Don Almstead, Mike Fry, Brett Patton
Mr. Big Trout
1st: Johnston BYOB – Ben Johnston, David 3rd: Yellow Mouth – Brad Urbanczyk,
Kevin Moczygemba, Travis Land
Campbell, Cary Matney, John Denton
2nd: Dos Quates X2 – Daniel Ramos, Doug Mr. Big Trout
1st: �Ace Scout – David Rowsey, Chad
Aarons, John Prommetter, TonyGallegos
3rd: Koontz McCombs – Pat Steele, Barry Childress, Brian Childress, Robert Brown
Vyvlecka, Randy Whitehead, Henry Serry 2nd: Release in Grease – Leland Stennett,
Frank Moravits, Scott Nixon, Dale Smith
Mr. Big Red
1st: LongShots – Jim Forestello, Jess 3rd: Hog Callers – Glenn Watts, Marti
Walker, Clint Foster
Hawkins, Kevin Stewart, Darryl Johnson
2nd: Koontz McCombs – Pat Steele, Barry Mr. Big Red
Vyvlecka, Randy Whitehead, Henry Serry 1st: Uno Mas Pescado – Jeff Spanley, Don
3rd: CMC Rebar San Antonio – Brock Pit- Almstead, Mike Fry, Brett Patton
tman, Shane Plummer, Lenny Stewart, 2nd: Yellow Mouth – Brad Urbanczyk,
Kevin Moczygemba, Travis Land
Robert Tucker
3rd: Team EDP – Ed Patton, Jason Miller,
Mr. Big Flounder
1st: Johnston BYOB – Ben Johnston, Da- Damon Smith, Carl Young
vid Campbell, Cary Matney, John Denton Mr. Big Flounder
2nd: Koontz McCombs – Pat Steele, Barry 1st: Ace Scout – David Rowsey, Chad ChilVyvlecka, Randy Whitehead, Henry Serry dress, Brian Childress, Robert Brown
3rd: Team Chata – Daniel Garcia, Monica
Graham, Anette Garcia, Darren Mota
First Place Stringer, Amateur Division
First Place Trout, Pro Division
Dean Bowen
Mike Copeland
Hooked
I
t was a big “thumbs up” for anglers
at the fourth annual Gillette Air
Conditioning fishing trip to Laredo,
recently. A total of 35 employees made
the trip to the Callahan Ranch north of
Laredo. Dean Bowen, general manager,
topped the scales with an 11-lb. bass
that measured 24in. Mike Copeland,
construction piping manager, and Dan
Coomes, residential service manager,
also caught bass weighing around 10lbs.
each. In addition to fishing, the group
enjoyed barbecue and nighttime hog
hunting. –kf
Dan Coomes
Page 18
Roy Guevara, Bernie Gonzales and
Archer Johnson
L-R: Mike Summers, Cuco Sanchez and
Sharon Eichman
Cuco Sanchez
Weather or not
M
oore Erection LLP didn’t let a
little stormy weather get in the
way of a good fishing trip.
The annual company outing to Rockport, TX, May 15 took a few detours, but
the trip yielded plenty of fish, just the
same.
“We fished about an hour then had
to run for cover,” said Donna Ibanez, operations manager. “A bad storm blew in
with lots of lightning. We got back out on
the water around 12-ish and fished all afternoon.”
Terry Coufal with TC Charters guided
the 16 fishermen and women. “He did a
great job setting it all up and handling
the storm,” Ibanez said. “Terry got all the
boats to cover and then had them all
picked up and moved to another dock for
the second half of our trip. The guides
never complained and let each boat fish
as long as they wanted to.” –kf
Kenny Brett, Dallas Cloud and Donna Ibanez
See Spot swim
Ellery Francisco, sales manager for Weldinghouse in San Antonio, displays the
redfish he caught on the lower Laguna Madre on a fishing trip in April. –kf
Through
The Years
Leo Potrykus, retired
Alamo Concrete Products
T
o his family and friends Leo Potrykus
is known as The Deer Whisperer. But
the large bags of animal crackers in
his feed room reveal his real secret for
raising docile deer for breeding stock.
Leo retired from Alamo Concrete in
San Antonio about eight years ago to pursue raising deer full time, which he sells to
ranchers and other breeders. He and
wife, Sandi, have 88 whitetail deer on 45
acres near Falls City, TX – San Leo Ranch.
When working with the deer, Leo
carries 2-lb. bags of animal crackers in his
golf cart as he travels through the highfenced pens that house the deer population. A cookie here, a cookie there, and
even the young, fractious bucks quiet
down and approach Leo.
Leo and Sandi got into the deer
breeding business by accident. “I had a
friend that was in the deer business just
outside of Poth, TX,” Leo said. “Somebody had given him a deer and he didn’t
want to bottle-feed it and he asked me if
I would.”
According to Leo, the fawn they
named Buckley would become a fullgrown backyard pet and run loose for
about two years.
“Five o’clock every morning he would
be standing at the patio door, and I would
open the door and say, ‘Come on in.’ He
loved donuts – the little white powdered
sugar donuts. He would walk in and I
would give him five of those little donuts.
He would eat them and then outside he
would go. He used to go over to the neighbors and beg cookies off of them too.”
Page 19
“You couldn’t do anything without Buckley having his nose in it,” Sandi said.
“The guys would shoot skeet
out here and Buckley would
be right next to them watching them.”
Once Leo was building a
pen and transferring sand to
a corn shed and leveling it
out. “Sandi said, ‘Come look
at this deer!’ He had jumped
up in the back of that pickup
and he was taking that sand
and throwing it out of that
truck.”
Sandi has a photo of
Buckley, a white kitten and a
pet raccoon named Whoopie, watching Leo untangle
Christmas tree lights in the
garage. After several years
they found Buckley a new
home.
“The people that took
him had a hunting ranch,
but they wouldn’t let anybody shoot
him,” Leo said.
In the meantime, Leo was adding to
his breeding stock. The year after they
got Buckley, the same rancher wanted
Leo to feed more fawns for him. “So I
bottle-fed 10 fawns for him and he gave
me four. So I ended up with four bucks
and one doe, and one of the bucks bred
that doe. So the following year she had a
fawn and it started from there and I bottle fed some more for him the next year.
It just mushroomed from there.”
Leo says the bottle-feeding is a lot of
work. “You’ve got to be here 24 hours a
day to take care of them. They don’t have
to be bottle-fed, because the mommas do
a pretty good job at it, but if you want
tame deer, you’ve got to bottle-feed them.
“That’s what keeps me going is working the deer and taking care of the deer.”
Thus far the biggest buck he has sold
was a 3-year-old that scored 207 B&C.
Rolling along
L-R: Tony Franckowiak and Jeff Royce
W
hat do manufacturing bowling
balls and baking 100,000 cakes
a week have in common?
Venetian Marble & Granite! Partners Tony Franckowiak and Jeff Royce,
owners of Venetian Marble & Granite, a
custom countertop manufacturer in
Helotes, were both in manufacturing before purchasing Venetian five years ago.
Franckowiak has an engineering
background and spent 23 years in the
manufacturing industry with Motorola,
and later manufactured bowling balls
with Columbia for 13 years.
“When I was with Columbia and the
bowling ball industry, we were one of the
largest users of resins in the United States,
buying over 10 million lbs. of resins in a
year. In the mid-90s we were making a
million bowling balls right here in San
Antonio.”
Franckowiak said league bowling
has been in a decline for 25 years, and the
league bowlers are the ones buying the
balls. He started looking into a new industry.
“The resins are very similar to the resins used in cultured marble,” he said. “So
around ’99 I started looking to get into
this kind of business and looked at everything between San Antonio and Houston
that we could have purchased.”
Royce, Franckowiak’s cousin, actually
ran two manufacturing plants for HEB. At
one time he was running both their photo processing plant and their bakery.
Both men had taken corporate buyouts at the same time and decided to
take on Venetian. Since purchasing the
company in 2005, the partners have taken the company from production builder
work to custom builder work, commercial work and retail. They also expanded
the product lines to include not only
granite and marble, but also laminate,
cultured marble, solid surface and glass.
Venetian’s five fabrication shops are
located on four acres, and the company
has 50 employees.
Venetian Marble & Stone is a custom
countertop manufacturer. –kf
This deer’s favorite snack is animal crackers.
Last year he sold 38 deer.
“I am a level D, seven years with animal health,” Leo said. “There are only
about four or five of us in the whole state
that high. I am qualified to sell deer out
of state now, and a lot of breeders aren’t.
Most states require a five year in the animal health program, in order to move
deer out of state.”
Leo is also a distributor for Fox Valley
Nutrition out of Illinois. “They make a
fawn milk they call Day One. They ship it
out to me, and I sell it to the ranchers and
deliver it.”
His new career is a far cry
from his roots. Leo was born
and raised in Michigan and followed in his father’s footsteps as
a bricklayer and masonry contractor. His mother was Felicite
Potrykus, and he had three sisters who have all passed away.
After a divorce, Leo moved
to San Antonio in the early ‘80s
and married Sandi, also from
Michigan, who was his high
school sweetheart.
Leo switched gears and
went to work in the concrete
industry working for Apache,
and Tricon Readymix.
“When I lived in San Antonio I ran the concrete plant in
Floresville. When things got
real bad back in the ‘80s, I went
to Vegas and went to work for a
company I used to work for
there.”
The couple returned to San
Antonio in ’92 and Leo went to
work for Barrett Industries that would become Alamo Concrete.
Leo and Sandi spend their time at
San Leo Ranch with the deer and with
family.
Sandi has two boys, Jeffrey, and Michael Malone, who have a landscaping business in San Antonio – MLC Landscaping.
Leo has three daughters – Angela Potrykus, Construction News; Lori Potrykus,
San Antonio and Vikki Jones, Weill Cornell
Medical College, New York City. Between
Leo and Sandi they have 13 grandchildren
and one great-grandson. –kf
Page 20
Texas tee time
Hats off to business
First Place team
A
unique golf tournament, pairing
disabled veterans with members
of the construction industry and
business community, was hosted by
Clark/Hunt A Joint Venture May 13.
The tournament was held at Silverhorn Golf Club and each golf team included one disabled veteran or an individual representing a disabled veteran.
The event included breakfast, lunch
and prize drawings.
The tournament raised $20,000 for
the Enable America VetConnect Program,
which assists vets in seeking employment.
Winners are:
1st Place Team: WPM Construction Services – Kurt Stahl and Cortney Roy, Hunt
Construction/WPM; Christopher Leoni,
WPM Construction Services; and James
Falkenberry, Wounded Warrior/WPM –kf
Warehouse turned dining room at the Whirlwind location
C
Warrior James Falkenberry demonstrates
a winning swing.
MC Construction Services hosted
customer appreciation lunches at
two locations in San Antonio in
April and May to thank contractors.
The Whirlwind location’s event was
held Apr. 21 and the Leslie Road location’s event was May 19.
“It’s just a way of saying thanks for
the business, and trying to give a little
something back to them,” said Gary
Woltersdorf, CMC sales manager. “We
try to do it during the summer months in
conjunction with a promotion with one
of our items we have.”
The two events focused on concrete
color additives and stains, with live demonstrations. Along with grilled hamburgers and sausages, guests received door
prizes.
“We are tossing the idea around to
do a breakfast one morning,” Woltersdorf said. “Just something different.” –kf
Matt Shepherd, CMC Construction Services,
handles grilling duties at the Leslie Road
location.
Page 21
New look for Texana
The new showroom features additional products.
A
SCO Texana Machinery welcomed hundreds of construction
industry customers and friends to
the newly remodeled facilities on Interstate 10 for a customer appreciation barbecue May 18.
“ASCO has an annual contractor day
event and this is our first one here, and it
is a great opportunity to show off all the
changes that we made,” said Kirby Carpenter, area manager.
ASCO acquired Texana Machinery in
December of 2009, which brought
changes to the IH-10 location. “We sell
lots of different kinds of construction
supplies and merchandise now, including concrete equipment, generators, water pumps, gas cutoff saws, coolers, concrete stamping products and color products, so we have added a tremendous
amount of merchandise since our acquisition by ASCO.
“As a result we have remodeled our
showroom to accommodate those new
products. We have Austin stone fronts
on all of our counters that came from one
of our good customers, Espinoza Stone,
in Austin.”
ASCO expanded the outside equipment yard to accommodate the addition
of aerial equipment and a new forklift line.
“We completely repaved the entire
parking lot,” Carpenter said. “We have a
lot of additional equipment that we did
not have as Texana Machinery. We were
kind of dirt guys and we have a lot more
to offer to a lot more contractors.”
The customer appreciation event included a trade show with representatives
from product lines, a catered barbecue
lunch, and plenty of door prize drawings.
Steve Wright, president of ASCO
based in Lubbock, was on hand to greet
customers.
ASCO Texana Machinery is an equipment rental company and supplier of construction equipment and supplies. –kf
And many more
L-R: Robert “Rocky” Lopez, Lopez Salas Architects, Inc.;
Mark Wohlfarth and Danny Bennavidez, Sabinal Group.
Sabinal Group, a general contracting firm, is celebrating its fifth anniversary in
San Antonio. Lopez Salas Architects will be celebrating a 10th anniversary next
year. The companies share a renovated building on Travis Street. –kf
Vroom, vroom
L-R: Cameron Jones, Brian Chandler, Chris Alaniz and Chris Buhidar, Truck
Source Diesel & Offroad (TSD), are settled in to their new location at Interstate
Highway 35 North at the BAMC exit. TSD provides a variety of accessories and
services for trucks, jeeps and SUVs. –kf
Vendors greet customers at the trade show.
Guests enjoy a barbecue lunch.
Page 22
Like father, like son
Kevin Perry at 14 with his first car
F
athers, sons and cars. The combination has been instrumental in building male family relationships since
the first Model A hit the streets.
“My dad actually got me into cars,”
said Kevin Perry, assistant manager at
Century Air Conditioning Supply in San
Antonio. “I always tell people my first involvement in cars was when I was 10
years old and my dad was restoring this
’66 Corvette. I was helping him by hiding
his tools.
“Then he brought home a 1939
Chevrolet and we started working on
that, and he saw how interested I was in
cars. When I was 14 he ended up buying
me a 1967 GTO that we restored that
pretty much kept me off the street. We
developed a good father-son bond between him and I.
“He is my role model. He is who I
look up to. His name is Harold Perry. Everybody else has these sports figures
they look up to. Not me. I look up to my
dad. I want to be like him.”
As an adult, Perry always had one or
two cars to “toy” around with. But in
2002 he became a single father with two
children, and finances caused him to put
his hobby on hold.
“I had to give up something, and I am
not going to give up my kids. My daughter, Tiffany, is 10, and my son, Timothy, is
11,” Perry said. “He is just like I am. He is
into cars.
“In 2006, when I learned you could
get the tax credit on daycare, and I had
the money to get another toy for me,
well, I gave the kids the option.”
Perry said they had already been to
Disneyworld, but he told the kids they
could take another big trip or buy a car
with the money saved.
“They came back and said I had given up so much for them that I should buy
the car. So I bought a ’94 Mustang GT,
which I have now. And that’s a car I will
probably have for a long time, because I
say my kids bought it for me.”
Recently, Perry bought a new toy – a
’95 Mustang GT body in rough shape that
he is planning to restore from the ground
up. He also has a future car in mind.
“My boy is 11 and when he is 13 or 14
we will start looking for him a car, but I
already told him it won’t be a fast car.”
Although Perry has had his Mustang
on the drag strip several times, he is not
an advocate of street racing that was
popular during his teenage years. He
says your life and others is at risk.
Perry tried to locate his first car, the
’67 GTO. “I tracked it down to the last
person who owned it and he sold it to a
restoration guy that went out of business. The tracks went cold. I was trying
to find it to see if I could buy it back.”
Perry’s life has a new focus in the last
year. He got married to his wife, Sherry, in
June of ’09. But he still dreams of future
cars. When asked if he could have any car
what would he have, Perry answered: “A
1967 Shelby GT 500 – or if I won the lottery I would buy a top fuel dragster!” –kf
The new toy
ALERT:
Your
information is
at risk
A
t Construction News, we pride
ourselves in not being caught
up in mainstream media hype.
Our niche is providing interesting articles about construction related
companies. Once in awhile though, a
story comes along that must be covered.
In late April, CBS News published
an investigative report regarding
personal information being stored
on photocopiers. According to information on CBS’ web site, digital photocopiers made after 2002 may store
information from copied, scanned or
emailed documents in an internal
hard drive. If the hard drive is not removed or cleaned prior to being discarded, sold or leased, the copied information is available to the next
owner or recipient of the photocopier.
Does that make the hair stand
up on the back of your neck? It did us
once we began discussing all the
copies that have been made at the
various entities where we do business, not to mention hospitals,
banks, car dealerships, etc., etc. etc.
(The etceteras really concern me.)
If you haven’t already seen the
investigative report, you can view it
at www.cbsnews.com. Search for
“Photocopier Investigation.” Read or
play the CBS video “Digital Photocopiers Loaded With Secrets.”
Sometimes I wish we still used
mimeograph machines or carbon
paper. –dn
Page 23
HVAC & Plumbing
Fear no evil
Joel Stolarski, Owner
SATEX Plumbing Company Inc.
San Antonio, TX
H
ow would you describe the state of the construction industry in general terms?
Right now it is starting to boil. Things are starting to
move a little. I’ve got careful hope.
What do you attribute that to?
People finally got over that fear of
this administration and I think people are
saying, “The heck with you politicians.
We are going to do this anyway.” Especially in Texas. I think people are just saying, “I don’t care what you guys are playing with in Washington, we are going to
keep building here.”
Since construction has declined in
other parts of the country, do you see
an increase in the number of outside
contractors coming into the area?
Yes, and I have made some new clients because of it. With the Internet everybody is accessible. We just get stuff
emailed to us from we don’t know who.
There is some fear in that. I don’t know
who I am working for. I have always been
relationship oriented. I have my customers and I like to know people. But this is a
whole new world for me to have to trust
somebody that I can’t go look in the face
when they don’t pay me.
What are the “hot button” issues in
your industry?
Talking with my peers, the hot button issue is that when the housing market slowed down, the residential plumbers came in to do commercial jobs and
messed up everything. Because, again,
like when I started, they didn’t know
what they were doing. All their bids were
real low and it threw off the whole system. They were just trying to survive.
I don’t think it was done out of any
kind of malice. It was just done out of lack
of knowledge.
What is the most significant challenge
your industry faces?
The challenge is changing the thinking of the next generation. This generation has heard about entitlement and
what I’m owed. We went through the 10
years of the employee having the upper
hand. We were at their mercy, because a
good guy could get two more bucks
across the road.
Even though you hate this recession,
it is exactly what we needed, even
though we were not making the money
that we did before, it was out of control.
It is teaching this generation that nothing
is owed to you and you’ve gotta go find
these kids that are willing to work and
want to work with their hands, and there
are not many out there anymore. They
want to press buttons.
There is such a joy and such fulfillment in doing something and stepping
back and looking at it, and saying, “Wow.”
I even miss that now because I am a pencil pusher and I swore I would never be.
That is why I went to trade school. I
passed one of those tests in high school
that said, “You will never work in an office.”
My guys get that fulfillment and I
envy them sometimes because I don’t
get to put that pipe in and stand back
and say, “Man, that looks good.”
If I catch hold of a kid that’s got it
(and I can usually tell in the first couple of
months), he’s got a future. That is my joy
now, being able to say, “I impacted this
kid’s life.”
Would you consider that to be one of
the rewards of the industry?
That is the reward of a spiritual man.
I could have become a pastor, or I could
have gone to seminary. But I felt like
God’s calling for me was, “Just do what I
give you to do. You don’t have to change
the world. Just be obedient and do what
I need you to do with one person at a
time.”
Joel Stolarski founded SATEX Plumbing
Company Inc. in 1983, focusing initially on
new home construction and repairs. The
focus later shifted to new commercial construction and repairs. –kf
No splash indoor pool
HVAC designs
Donald B. Prather, Technical Services Specialist
Air Conditioning Contractors of America
(ACCA)
Arlington, VA
W
hen you unroll a plan and see an indoor pool and hot tub do you see HVAC related trouble ahead? Do you feel confident enough in your understanding of all
of the variables involved to know if the architect designed a structural envelope that
is appropriate for indoor pool applications? Are you afraid of getting a future call back
because of wet sagging ceiling panels, rusty steel beams, wet insulation, dripping
glass panels; or worse yet, mold and or algae growing on the walls? Unfortunately,
once there is a problem it can be in the HVAC equipment design, the usage, or in the
structural design.
In order to avoid an ugly endless
round of finger pointing, you need to
start the project with a professional HVAC
contractor who understands indoor pool
design. Better yet is to get that HVAC contractor involved during the design phase
if possible. To do the job thoroughly, a
HVAC contractor needs to evaluate designed indoor humidity consequences
for the all of the selected building materials especially the following items:
• building surfaces
• minimum R values
• vapor barrier locations
• door and window type
If it is not possible to involve the
HVAC contractor in the design process…
look out, there may be an unforeseen
problem due to the unique and specialized challenges in indoor pool design.
For example, if there are other living
spaces incorporated in the enclosed pool
area there should be warning lights and
sirens going off in your mind. Before bidding, or at least before starting construction, make sure an HVAC contractor has
studied the plan. Be sure to ask if your
HVAC contractor will follow the design
guidance detailed in the newly released
American National Standards Institute
(ANSI) recognized ACCA Manual SPS
(HVAC Design for Swimming Pools and
Spas. Proper application of the design
guidance in Manual SPS by a professional
HVAC contractor will result in indoor pool
HVAC system that can be counted on to
perform properly.
Hank Rutkowski P.E., the author of
Manual SPS, is an internationally recognized authority in residential and com-
mercial design applications. As the principal author of numerous ANSI Design
Standards, he was uniquely qualified to
lead the team that developed Manual
SPS. All of the team members were experts on pool design. Original equipment manufacturers, mechanical contractors, and pool design consultants
were all represented on the team. Their
cumulative knowledge was focused into
the HVAC industry’s first indoor pool and
spa design standard. Now contractors
everywhere have access to the information needed to select the specialized
equipment needed to control the unique
dynamics of indoor pool applications.
Mechanical systems for indoor pool
applications must be designed to continuously control the dew point temperatures of space air as well as space temperature. From the 30,000-ft view, Manual SPS addresses the following specialized HVAC design considerations for
pools and spas:
• Dehumidification system must control
airflow dew point all of the time regardless of outdoor conditions, and provide
indoor air quality.
• HVAC Systems must be compatible with
moist air and pool chemicals.
• Ductwork needs to be properly sealed
and insulated.
• Due to higher operating and installation
costs: Higher efficiency options and the
expense of ongoing maintenance should
be considered in the design process.
• The envelope must be compatible with
the pools operating design parameters.
Those planning to build indoor pools
or spas should become familiar with the
new Manual SPS. Manual SPS is available
online at the ACCA bookstore.
Donald Prather has been with ACCA
since 2007. He is a graduate of Thomas Edison State College with a B.S. in Mechanical
Engineering Technology and has over 30
years of HVAC experience. Prather is currently a licensed HVAC contractor in Florida
and holds a 1st Class Stationary Engineer
Certification in Maryland. He was the principal author of the Technician’s Guide for
Quality Installations; a compendium to the
ANSI/ACCA HVAC Quality Installation Specification, and Manual B Balancing and Testing Air and Hydronic Systems. –dn
Page 24
HVAC & Plumbing
Prosperous plumbing
Manny Nabarette, Owner
BMC Plumbing
Round Rock, TX
M
anny Nabarrette, BMC Plumbing,
says the plumbing industry has
seemed to be immune to the economic
downturn in his opinion. With hard work
and perseverance, he says the Austin area
is the perfect location to work in the
plumbing field.
How would you describe the state of
the construction industry in general?
In Austin, it seems like residential is
up when commercial is down and commercial is up when residential is down.
You have a lot of people saying they can’t
find work. I don’t understand why that is.
The construction here in the Austin area
seems to be booming for the most part
on the commercial side.
Have you heard of an increase lately?
When the housing market crashed a
few years ago, that’s when the commercial part of construction began to take
off. It seems like the commercial side has
not peaked yet. It’s growing from what I
see in the jobs we’re obtaining.
You haven’t seen a slowdown at all in
your business?
Not at all. Plumbing companies are
growing. I don’t see anyone collapsing or
going bankrupt.
Do you think more contractors will
come in from other areas?
I have seen many general contractors and contractors getting jobs here
and I don’t think that’s good for our business. I am not saying all out of state contractors are bad, but I have heard horrible
stories about it causing problems. One
thing it does is it brings the quality of
work down in some cases. What it does
for the financial end of it is it drives the
prices down. As far as plumbers and
those types of jobs, they tend to hire local. It is better for our economy to hire locally.
What do you think are some of the major issues right now in the industry?
The major issue is licensing. We have
unlicensed people doing work everywhere. I have heard about stings that
they are doing right now. They have done
some on electric contractors recently.
What do you see in the horizon for the
industry as far as upcoming technology or trends?
I see everybody going green and if
you can get on the green wagon and
start studying that, I think you’re going to
prosper. I believe if you don’t jump on it,
Demand for air conditioning
continues
George Aivazian, Owner
PartsCo
Houston, TX
W
hat is your perspective on the air
conditioning and heating industry today?
Well, the air conditioning and heating supply business is going to be around
a long time because people have to have
air conditioning in this part of the country. However, the economy has had some
impact on people’s savings. I have noticed customers needing repairs and replacements over the past year.
In addition, there have been changes
in refrigerant codes. As far as improvements in the industry, I think the equipment has become more energy efficient.
Is there a certain time of year when
you are busier than other months?
The hotter it gets, the busier we get.
June, July and August are our busiest
months of the year.
What are the challenges in your industry?
I think a challenge is adjusting to the
different environmental laws, which I
think are good. In addition, we have to
keep up with the new equipment that is
phasing out the older equipment. Of,
course there are price increases on materials too.
What are the cost increases you have
seen?
The price increases are on raw materials, which reflect eventually on the finished product coming to us. Of course,
everything gets passed on to the end
user. I have seen price increases for steel
and copper.
you’re going to be left out. I’ve seen different trends throughout the years, but
the green is here to stay. Here in the Austin area, it has really taken off. It’s our future.
Do the new water restricting fixtures
impact plumbing installation?
No. It doesn’t impact it. It’s better for
water conservation and it doesn’t affect
installation. It provides savings for the
consumer. I think it’s one of the best
things they have come up with.
What is the biggest challenge your industry faces right now?
Out of state contractors.
Is plumbing education available to
those who wish to enter the industry?
You can go to school, but mainly you
have to put in a lot of hours. You have to
start out as an apprentice, tradesman
and journeyman. It’s like anything else.
You can read books on it, but until you
start doing it, you’re not going to learn it.
What are the cost increases?
Mainly copper.
Has copper theft affected the pricing?
There is always an issue with copper.
If there’s an open job site, there’s always a
chance the copper will be missing. Normally you’ll budget the cost, but sometimes you’ll find it will be stolen.
Have you found a solution?
No. Just try to keep your job site secure.
What do you think are the biggest rewards in the industry?
Just meeting the people you get to
meet and the friendships you develop.
What do you think are the keys to being successful?
I think integrity is the most important thing and providing quality service.
BMC Plumbing is based in Round Rock and
has been in existence for five years. –km
Have you noticed any labor shortages?
No. There’s not a shortage right now
for anybody.
What is your opinion about copper
theft?
I think copper theft has been phased
out because the copper prices leveled toward the end of last year.
Now, for some reason, even though
new construction demand is down, the
copper prices are going back up. Usually
when there is a demand the prices go up.
Copper theft will probably come back,
especially with the economy the way it is
today.
Have you seen any new technologies
in your industry?
Air conditioning is generally an old
technology. It takes Freon to cool the air
and it takes electricity to pump the Freon. That part of it is really the same. I
have seen some changes in environmental and temperature controls.
What are the rewards of your industry?
I have always been service-oriented.
I used to be an air conditioning contractor and have really enjoyed being selfemployed. I always like helping people.
I get the most satisfaction out of that.
This has been a great business for me!
In your experience, what are the keys
to success?
In our business, having access to inventory is number one. It is also important to stay knowledgeable about what
you are doing. Be customer-service oriented.
How do you stay up-to-date in your industry?
I still hold my contractors license and
I need to do continuing education courses in order to keep it. When I attend the
continuing education courses every year,
I get updated on codes and changes in
the industry.
What is on the horizon?
I am hoping we will see things become more affordable for people. Right
now, the economy looks bleak. The only
reason we stay in business and have
stayed in business is because of the demand for air conditioning. I think that
will continue.
Established in 1990, PartsCo is an air conditioning, heating, refrigeration and appliance supply business. The company has
two locations in Houston. –ab
Page 25
HVAC & Plumbing
Consumer driven plumbing
Ken Reinhardt
Braswell & Associates
Gail Lux
Inspector, City of Cedar Hill
A
mong the hot-button issues currently affecting plumbers are customerdriven demand for new, green technologies (commercial and residential), a new
statewide water-saving mandate, and a
move by some cities to tighten rules on
the location of water heaters in new construction.
Ken Reinhardt, representative for
Braswell & Associates in Farmers Branch,
TX, has been hearing “buzz” about new
hybrid water heaters, but hasn’t seen any
installed yet.
He wonders about the relatively high
cost, actual performance efficiency, and
operational impact on existing plumbing.
New tankless water heaters and electric-hybrids are aimed at providing “ondemand” hot water to reduce heating
Lee McFarland
Herndon McFarland
Plumbing
costs and water usage (by not needing to
let water run before hot water is delivered).
Some manufacturers claim energy
cost savings of around 25 percent, an industry stride in light of The U.S. Dept. of
Energy’s first Energy Star standard for water heaters in 2008.
Some manufacturers offer training
on tankless technology applications, installation, proper sizing, and service; they
add that the technology may require
some changes in plumbers’ business approach.
Tankless and hybrid water heater
manufacturers say the technology will
appeal to customers who want to reduce
their “carbon footprint,” a leading concern of global warming advocates.
Lee McFarland of Herndon McFar-
land Plumbing of Addison, TX, points
out that tankless and hybrid water heaters are expensive and that many customers may not see payback of their investment anytime soon (or ever).
Still, he acknowledges that customer-driven interest in green energy technology is shifting the business climate for
plumbers beyond just payback considerations.
“There are advantages to tankless
water heaters in that you don’t have to
continuously heat water, he says, and this
may be enough to spur demand in a political climate that is promoting green energy awareness and compliance.
From a plumbing perspective, of
course, going green isn’t just about conserving energy. In fact, it may be even
more importantly about conserving water. In the 1990s, the federal government
mandated ultra-low-flush toilets (1.6 gallons per flush, or gpf), first for residential
toilets and later for commercial toilets.
Now, Texas has taken a more aggressive step to mandate a 1.28-gpf toilet
standard on and after Jan. 1, 2014 for new
construction.
“Over the next three or four years,
cities will be phasing in this requirement,
so builders may want to do it today and
get ahead of the curve,” says McFarland.
Paul Peterman, inspector for the
City of McKinney, has been impressed
with the low-flow toilets he has installed
in his older home. He thinks design has
improved significantly over the years.
A change occurring in several Texas
cities that is drawing sighs of relief, even
applause, from plumbers is the passage
of ordinances regarding placement of
water heaters in attics.
On Jan. 13, 2009, the City of Cedar
Hill approved an ordinance that banned
water heaters in attics in new construction.
“Fort Worth took water heaters out
of attics two years ago. The City of Grapevine took a different approach by restricting water heaters to “conditioned spaces,” so that they cannot be located in unfinished attics,” says Gail Lux, inspector
for the City of Cedar Hill.
“In attics, water heaters cost twice as
much to replace, cause three times as
much damage and frequently are not
right for the load-bearing capacity,” he
says.
Plus, water heaters in attics are “a
servicing nightmare,” adds McFarland.
Some homeowners find out too late
the special problems posed by water
heaters in the attic. The Internet is filled
with discussion boards of homeowners
sharing their stories of the additional
costs and inconvenience they faced
when water heater problems arose.
Inspectors for 10 North Texas cities
discussed hot-button plumbing issues
with contractors at a session hosted by
the Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Association of North Texas in May.
– mh
NEXT MONTH
July 2010
Electrical Industry
2010
Schedule
Jan: Construction Forecast
Feb: Construction Safety
Mar: Construction Education
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Page 26
Revitalization in the city
The Lopez Salas Architects offices in San Antonio
C
onstruction News contacted local
general contractors and architects
to find out their perspective on the
revitalization efforts in downtown San
Antonio and Houston. Here is what they
had to say…
Lopez Salas Architects, Inc. and Sabinal
Group are savoring the historical charm
and modern features of the companies’
new offices on West Travis Street in San
Antonio. They are also hoping the renovation of the 1907 schoolhouse will spark
future revitalization of a section of downtown that has been neglected.
The architectural firm and general
contractor are in the process of renovating the two-story structure. The two
companies have completed the second
The Eye Impact project in Houston
Birds-eye view of the school building in San Antonio
floor, which they occupy, and hope to
lease the entire first floor and basement.
“I think in renovation work, especially when you take an old building and
breathe new life into it, the rewards are
so much greater,” said Robert Lopez,
principal with Lopez Salas Architects, and
partner in the development of the building. “We could have just bought a piece
of property out on 1604 somewhere and
designed a building with no unknowns,
except for maybe some site issues. Everything else is very simple. But the rewards are much greater in a building like
this, plus we both love downtown.
“Everybody knows the vibrant part
of San Antonio is the Riverwalk. As you
move out towards the outskirts of downtown and away from the Riverwalk, that
is where revitalization needs to take
place. We think we are doing that.”
Both companies hope the renovation of the schoolhouse will be the first
step in changing the neighborhood.
Mark Wohlfarth, Sabinal Group partner,
says both he and his partner, Danny Bennavidez, have an affinity for the area.
“We are downtown people and
we’ve always officed downtown and a lot
of our projects are downtown,” Wohlfarth
said. “Both of our parents worked downtown for years.
“We are only a block away from Frost
Bank and two blocks away from the
courthouse. We walk to a lot of meetings
around here, getting the vibrant pace of
downtown.”
Like most renovation projects the
challenge is dealing with the unknown.
“We didn’t realize how much structural work we had to do,” Lopez said. “To
make the project work we had to move
columns and take walls out that were
pretty substantial.”
“The original floors up here are longleaf pine, but over the years they laid
down masonite on top and VCT (vinyl
composition tile) on top of that,”
Wohlfarth said. “The ceilings had beadboard, which was cool, but then they
came in and added HVAC and lighting
and put in a dropped acoustic ceiling.
We came in and demoed both of the ceilings out.
“All the walls had inch and a quarter
plaster on them. There was actually a
crack from water damage, and it exposed
some of the brick and we said, ‘This is
cool,’ and we kicked it and a bunch of the
plaster fell off.”
Originally the plan was to expose
just that one wall, but after exposing the
brick they decided to continue with all
the walls, Wohlfarth said. “It took about
three weeks and seven guys, just knocking it off with hammers, to expose the
brick and them seal them.”
Construction included installing
floating ceilings and adding lighting to
conceal some of the HVAC. Partition
walls are low so you have a view of the
beams and trusses. They plan to replace
the windows in the future.
Optometrist Gary Nguyen is the
general contractor for his own full-service optometric clinic called Eye Impact
at 5601 Washington Avenue in Houston.
“For the past three years, I have
worked on my new private office,” he
said. “I am actually going to live above
the office. It will be a contemporary
mixed-use building and has a warehouse
feel. The project should be completed by
the first week of June.
“It is a new construction project so
we have new drywall and we just put
down porcelain tile floors. New Living, a
new green building store in the Rice Vil-
lage, is installing eco-friendly cabinets
made from bamboo in both in the living
and office space.
“Pablo Ramirez, Poilf Painting, organized all the drywall efforts. The electrician is D & B Electric and the plumber is
AB Plumbing Inc.”
Nguyen says the biggest challenge
during the construction process was the
strict codes and permits.
“When we bought the land, there
was just one new shopping center and
everything else on the street was used
car lots, warehouses and empty lots,” he
said. “It was still a little bit of a seedy
area.”
Construction News asked Nguyen his
perpective on the revitalization in the
area. He says Washington Avenue is now
one of the hottest areas for new clubs,
wine bars, lounges and restaurants.
“If you come to Washington Avenue
on a Friday or Saturday night, the street is
packed,” he said. “There are a lot of new
town houses and patio homes in the
area. Many young, dual-income households are in the area.
“In the last year, I have seen at least
seven or eight shopping centers go up
on Washington Avenue. There are a lot of
new businesses opening up.
“I think the future for this part of
town is going to be great. If you look at
Midtown now, that is where Washington
Avenue is going to be in another year. It
is exciting to see the way it has changed.”
–kf /ab
On the grow
Members of the military and representatives of Balfour Beatty Communities
cut the ribbon, unveiling the first part of a multi-phase development project at
Lackland AFB May 14. In addition to military housing, the project includes a community center, playground, pool, basketball and sand volleyball courts. –kf
Page 27
Association Calendar
Content submitted by Associations to Construction News
ABC
Associated Builders & Contractors
Jun. 15: First Aid Certification, Engineering
Safety Consultants’(ESC) office, 12758 Cimarron Path, Ste. 127, 5:30pm; ABC/BX members
$20, non-members $30; class limit 12
Jun. 16: CPR Certification, ESCs’ office,
5:30pm; ABC/BX members $20, nonmembers $30; class limit 12
Jun. 15-16: OSHA 10-Hour, ABC Office,
10408 Gulfdale, 1-6:30pm; construction
industry safety and health topics; ABC
members $200, non-members $250
Jun. 24: Burgers & Beer Mixer, Luxello
Dance Hall, 5-8pm; food, drink and fun;
$20 per person
For more info or to register for all classes
and events, call the ABC, 210-342-1994 or
the website at www.abcsouthtexas.org.
AGC
Associated General Contractors
Unless otherwise noted, all events and
classes are held at the AGC offices.
Jun. 11: Education Committee Mtg, 8:30am
Jun. 15: CLF Steering Council Mtg, 4:30pm
Jun. 17: Safety & Health Committee
Meeting, 11:am
Jun. 23: BIM 4 Field, 9am-noon
Jun. 25: Board of Director’s Meeting, The
Petroleum Club, 8am
For more info call the AGC office 210-349-4921
ASA
American Subcontractors Association
Jun. 3: Monthly Lunch Seminar, Ridout,
Barrett & Co. office, 11:30am-1:30pm; topic: Backcharges and Claims – Differing Site
Conditions; speaker: Thomas J. Walthall,
The Gardner Law Firm; lunch provided Jun. 15: Box Lunch w/Weston Solutions, location to be determined; topic: Federal Projects -- What to Expect
Jun. 26: 9th Annual Fishing Tournament,
Port Aransas, TX
Jul.1: Monthly Lunch Seminar, office of
Ridout, Barrett & Co., 11:30-1:30; topic: Change Orders; Extra Work; Voiding Outof-State Choice of Law; Venue and Arbitration Provisions
ECAT
Earthmoving Contactors Assn. of TX
Jun. 25-26: 52nd Annual Meeting, Marriott Hotel, 3300 Championship Parkway,
Fort Worth, TX; for more info and reservations contact Carl Englerth 830-629-1620
or ecat@satx.rr.com
HCA
Hispanic Contractors Association
Jun. 21: Monthly Membership Meeting,
8300 Pat Booker Rd., 6pm; topic: Bexar
County Performing Arts Center project Linbeck/Zachry
Jun. 24-25: HCA sponsored OSHA Training
Contact Ray at 210-444-1100 or email
admin@hcadesa.org to register.
IEC
Independent Electrical Contractors
Jun. 11: 2nd Annual IEC Sporting Clay Fun
Shoot, San Antonio Gun Club, noon-6pm
Jun. 14: Continuing Education Class, IEC
office, 5-9pm
Jun. 15: A&T Committee meeting, IEC office, 11am
Jun. 16: Board of Director’s meeting, IEC
office, 11am
Jun. 19: Electrical Maintenance Technician Class, IEC office, 8am-5pm
For more information on events visit
www.iecsanantonio.com.
MACB
1pm; members FREE, non-members
$150, includes breakfast
Jun. 24: General Meeting, Education Service
Center, Region 20, 1314 Hines Avenue, 6pm
For more info or to RSVP 210-617-3147 or
miamonita@macb-sa.org
MCA–SMACNA
Mechanical Contractors Association
Sheet Metal & A/C Nat’l Assn.
Jun. 2: Regular and Associate member
firms mtg, Oak Hills Country Club, 11:30am
Jun. 16: Joint Industry Fund Forum and
Business Mtg, Oak Hills Country Club,
11:30am
Jun. 26: Summer Social, Silverhorn Golf
Club, 6-10pm
NARI
Nat’l Assn. of the Remodeling Industry
NARI SA meets monthly for general
membership meetings, with mixers and
Roundtable discussions. For more info on
events visit http://www.narisanantonio.
com or call 210-348-6274
NAWIC
Nat’l Assn. of Women in Construction
Jun. 2: General meeting, The Petroleum
Club, 8620 N. New Braunfels; networking/cash bar 5:30pm, meeting and dinner 6pm; $27 members, $32 non-members; topic and speaker TBD
Jun. 12: NAWIC and Habitat for Humanity Build; call Jennifer Swinney for location and sign-up information.
Jun. 16: Board meeting, office of Keller
Martin General Contractors, 6pm; all
members welcome
Reservations required for dinner meetings, call Jennifer Swinney at 210-6958701 ext 101, or Sandee Morgan 210-4025423 ext. 3379 or sandeedal@yahoo.com
PHCC
Minority Assn. of Contractors & Businesses
Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors
Jun. 2: 12pm; Board Of Directors meeting, MACB Board Room, 7106 NE Loop 410
Jun. 17-18: 10-Hour OSHA Classes
MACB offices, 7106 NE Loop 410; 8am-
No Monthly meeting in June
Jun. 7: Scott Freund Memorial Golf Tournament
Jun. 9: Blueprint Reading 5:30pm
Jun. 16: Isometric Drawing 5:30 pm
Jun. 23-27: PHCC-Texas Convention at The
Woodlands To register/more info: www.
phccsanantonio.org or 210-523-1540
SAABE
SA Assn. of Building Engineers
Jun. 16: General meeting, Embassy Suites Hotel, IH-10 and Loop 410,11:30am-1pm; RSVP to
laurabray@braycommunications.com
SAMCA
San Antonio Masonry Contractors Assn.
Jun. 24: 2010 Golden trowel Awards
Banquet, The Club at Sonterra; For information contact Debbie 830-606-5556
SDA
Society for Design Administration
Jun. 10: Membership Networking meeting, Rialto Studio, 2425 Broadway, Ste.
105, noon; open to interested design administrators, lunch provided; contact
Gina Gray 210-828-1155
Jun. 24: Chapter mtg, Brownbag, Rialto Studio; contact Jessica Hamm, 210-227-2282
Jul. 8: Membership Networking meeting, Stella Bustos, Spectrum
TSPS
Texas Society of Professional Surveyors
Jun. 3: Chapter 11 Board Meeting, PBS &
J Engineering, noon-1pm
Jun. 5: Second Quarterly Board Meeting
and Ray Wisdom Barbecue and Auction,
Airport Hilton, Austin, TX
Jun. 20: Business Meeting, Grady’s BBQ
11:30am-1pm
USGBC
U.S. Green Building Council
Jun. 15: Lecture Series, Helen Plume, climate change expert from New Zealand,
Austin Convention Center Ballroom B, 500
East Cesar Chavez St., Austin, TX, 5:30pm
Convention Center tour, 6pm registration/
networking, 6:30pm doors open; 8:1510pm reception, members $50, non-members $65; for more info visit centraltexas.
org or email ED@usgbc-centraltexas.org.
Page 28
continued from Page 1 — Home of their own
age it well and keep your eye on the bottom line and don’t bite off more than you
can chew. Because once you can’t deliver, that’s when problems arise,” Marcelo
said. “Do what you say you can and don’t
embellish, and if there is that doubt, just
walk away because there is always tomorrow. If you go into something knowing you can’t do it, you won’t.”
The decision to move to the south
side of town was two-fold. According to
Marcelo, the price was right and the Ortas wanted to add to restoration efforts
in the community. “We wanted to bring
it back to where it was flourishing at one
time.”
He said there are several older buildings with character in the area that could
be restored. DIO Electrical’s headquarters is the former Union Station Bank
built in the early 1900s on West Southcross. Future growth has Marcelo eyeing
the vacant building next door.
Marcelo is a fan of the “Pay it Forward” philosophy. DIO Electrical is offering a free, in-house apprenticeship program.
“Right now it is just for our guys, but
this pilot program is working out really
well for us right now,” he said.
They hope to be able to offer the
program to other electrical industry prospects in the future.
“We figure we can afford to take the
hit to bring up quality electricians
through the trade.” –kf
continued from Page 1 — Arrowwood to the heart
which is over in
Monte Vista on
Main Street. We will
be hiring a designer that will work
out of that showroom.”
Hurley said the
showroom will be
branded
Main
Street Kitchen and
Bath. The showroom includes a
working kitchen for
cooking demonstrations and entertaining.
The Main Street Kitchen and Bath showroom is centrally located
“The thing that
in the Monte Vista National Historic District
excites us about
Main Street is that this is designed for the and grow our core customers, which are
builders,” Hurley said. “So when a builder the medium-sized and large builders,
comes in here we want to make their cus- and then pursue new avenues within the
tomer feel like this belongs to the builder marketplace,” Smith said.
Hurley outlined Arrowwood’s busiand this is part of their operation as well.” Future plans for Arrowwood include ness plan. “We have a three-pronged apcustomer appreciation events, like one proach: Service to builder, service to
recently held at the Red Berry Mansion builder, service to builder.”
Arrowwood Cabinets is a supplier to
for homebuilders.
“Our whole strategy is to maintain the construction industry. –kf
continued from Page 1 — Re-lighting a Havana relic
The penthouse master restroom was relocated and renovated. Miscellaneous carpentry projects and landscaping
were also included in the renovation.
“Constant communication
and coordination between the
design team and the construction team was essential to the
successful completion of this
hotel renovation,” Whittington
said.
Lake Flato Architects designed the project. Along with
Whittington, Liz Lambert,
owner of The Bunkhouse
Group; Tenaya Hills, owner’s
representative for The Bunkhouse Group; and Kim Monroe, Lake Flato Architects;
were actively involved with the
daily operations of the hotel
renovation.
Whittington said some of
the major renovation challengThe Havana Bar inside the Hotel Havana
es included bringing the electrical and fire systems up to
code and repairs on the mechanical systems. The construction team also repaired the
original 1914 wood flooring at various locations throughout the hotel.
Major subcontractors included Alterman Electric, Beyer Mechanical, Paradise
Painting, American Roofing, Automatic Fire Protection and JW Dielman.
Founded in 2009 by Alex Whittington and Colby Lewis, Stalwart Contracting, LLC
specializes in commercial interior finish-out and remodel work. Stalwart offers its services to the private sector markets of San Antonio and surrounding areas. –kf
Down to earth
The staff at Frost GeoSciences in Helotes offers environmental consulting, geotechnical and forensics engineering, and construction materials testing
– and they just like playing in the dirt! –kf
Page 29
What to do
with Construction News
Round-Up
Alderson & Associates, Inc. Consulting
Engineers announces:
Todd Sparrow, EIT,
has joined the firm
as a project manager and electrical engineer. His experience includes design for electrical
lighting and power
systems for commercial and industrial projects
Phillip Preston, EIT,
has joined the firm
as a project manager and mechanical
engineer. His experience includes design of HVAC and
exhaust systems for
commercial, industrial and medical facilities.
Roger Anderson
Jr. has joined the
firm as an MEP construction administrator. He was previously a fire alarm
and security designer for institutional buildings.
Brandon Moreno
has joined the firm
as a mechanical designer. He has more
than seven years of
technical
experience in HVAC design.
HOLT CAT has
named Paul Hensley vice president
and chief financial
officer. Hensley has
held the position of
controller
with
HOLT CAT for nine
years and has more
than 23 years of accounting and finance experience in a variety of industries. He earned a bachelor’s
degree in business administration from
Trinity University and is a certified public
accountant licensed in the State of Texas.
In his new position, Hensley will be responsible for managing all aspects of the
organization’s financial activities.
Central
Texas
Equipment is proud
to announce the
addition of Allan N.
(Chip) Kee, III to
their
sales
team. Chip has
spent the past 18
years in sales for the
industrial and construction industry.
Chip will primarily be responsible for
sales and rentals in the San Antonio area.
Rick Fulks has
joined Mills Brothers Masonry in
project
management and estimating. Fulks started
his construction industry career with
PECO Construction.
He has been in the industry for 40 years.
B
eing a PR person by nature, I’m always looking for ways to make
something out of nothing. However, I really get excited when I can make
something great out of something that is
already good.
The Construction News newspaper is
like that. If you chunk the paper after
your read it, you may be missing some
great opportunities.
Let’s take a quick look at how you
can turn Construction News into a positive
tool in your business toolbox.
First, the obvious uses include getting new sales leads and business contacts. That’s great and very important,
but there is something equally as important – relationship building.
How long has it been since you have
received a personal note from someone?
With all the email, texting and telephones, personal notes are becoming
extinct.
Set yourself apart from the crowd
and take advantage of a more personal
form of communication.
Clip an article out of the paper and
send it to the business owner and tell him
(or her) you are glad to see him in the
news. Compliment him on the success of
his business or project. I guarantee he will
be impressed that you took time out from
your busy schedule to remember him.
There are many reasons to reach out
to a business associate or competitor.
Some ideas include:
• A personal form of introduction
• Congrats on a job promotion
• Thank you note
• Haven’t seen you lately. Let’s get together.
• Glad to see your business is doing well.
Playing it safe
Round-Up
Submissions
This is a monthly section for brief
company announcements of new or
recently promoted personnel, free of
charge, as space allows.
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Email (w/digital photo, if available)
by the 15th of any month, for the
next month’s issue
(published 1st of each month).
Email info to appropriate city issue,
with “Round-Up” in the subject line:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
San Antonio
saeditor@constructionnews.net
Austin
austineditor@constructionnews.net
Dallas/Ft. Worth
dfweditor@constructionnews.net
Houston
houstoneditor@constructionnews.net
The Corps of Engineers recently presented Alterman with an award as part of the
Operation Reward Safety. The award is based upon several factors,
including Alterman’s safety program, project hazards, management/employee
safety involvement and adherence to the Corps Safety Manual.
L-R: Dana Calonge, Alterman; Madeline Morgan, Corps of Engineers District
Office; and Guy Katz, Alterman. –kf
• Nice shot or good catch regarding an
outdoor photo.
• Great article. I didn’t know you did
(whatever). You are very talented.
• I saw one of your employees in the paper. Good catch on that one.
If you want to get a little more fancy,
laminate or frame the article for a special
occasion. We have many feature articles
in which readers request a reprint. A reprint is in color and designed to look like
a front page article. Very impressive.
Don’t forget to take advantage of
your internal employee communications
too. Consider clipping the article and
placing it where your employees can see
it. Employees like to see their employer in
the news.
Remember to clip the Great Outdoor
photos too. We normally get pretty cool photos, and people do like seeing cool photos.
On a final note, if the article is about
you or your company, I suggest the following:
• Send the article to your mom so she can
brag to her friends. Moms like to do that.
• Keep a copy of the article in your wallet
to pull out and impress your date.
• Show the paper to your kids and try to
impress them about your job. (It probably won’t work, but you can try.) –dn
Debra Nicholas, Managing Editor
Page 30
Surf’s up
Maria Rodriguez, Equipment Depot, and Beto Guzman, Engineering Safety Consultants,
winners of the outfit contest, perform for the audience.
T
he construction industry
headed to the oil-free
SpawGlass beach May
20 for the 13th Annual Luau in
Selma, TX.
The loading dock area was
filled with tons of sand, and
the warehouse was transformed into a dining room for
the occasion. An island buffet
and margarita machines kept
guests smiling.
Music, prize drawings and
a “Most Outrageous Hawaiian
Attire” contest entertained the
crowd of more than 500.
SpawGlass hosts the annual event to thank their clients, subcontractors and suppliers. –kf
Looking for waves
L-R: Yvonne Richardson, Redondo Manufacturing; Mike Beasley, SpawGlass;
Gwen Karraker, Sign Network
Taking care of business
L-R: Michael Meason and Rodney Arnold stop for a moment for a photo
in the equipment yard at Gajeske, Inc. on Western Oak in Helotes, TX.
Gajeske supplies pipes, equipment rental, fusion services and training
for the construction industry. –kf
Job Sights
Page 31
What does this symbol mean?
Symbol: 1. Something used for or regarded as representing something else; a material
object representing something, often something immaterial; emblem, token, or sign.
– Random House College Dictionary.
J
L-R: Braden DeWinne, DeWinne Electric Company, and Alfred Martinez Jr., Browning
Construction Company, are working on the new security command center for CPS Energy
Plant near Calaveras Lake. The project is scheduled for completion in July. Browning
Construction is the general contractor for the project. –kf
Workers with Urban Concrete Contractors work on
the San Antonio Food Bank expansion project on Old Highway 90 West.
Stadler-Eden Commercial Group is the general contractor. –kf
Ezekiel Bautista, SPG Construction based in Arizona, helps erect scaffolding on the roof
of the San Antonio Central Library. SPG is replacing the exterior skins for F.A. Nunnelly
Company’s weatherization project, which includes reconstruction of the roofs,
exterior wall skins and skylights. –kf
Volunteer workers from Buffalo Framing & Truss Company start on a home for Marine Cpl.
Neil Frustaglio, one of the three recipients of Homes For Our Troops in Marion, TX. Joining
Cpl. Frustaglio (back row) are Marine Cpl. Jose “Ivan” Perez, another home recipient; Jan
and Jack Uptmore, Uptmore Custom Homes; and Nell Carter, Uptmore Custom Homes.
Uptmore Custom Homes is the general contractor for the three homes under construction in
Marion for wounded soldiers, with volunteer manpower and donated materials. –kf
une 14 is Flag Day. It is a day
that we recognize and pay
tribute to the symbol of the
United States of America.
www.USA.gov
provides
these flag facts:
•June 14, 1777: Continental Congress passed the Flag Act establishing the first flag, symbolizing
the United States of America.
•1916: “President Woodrow Wilson issued a proclamation calling
for a nationwide observance of
Flag Day on June 14.”
•1949: Congress passed a resolution to
establish June 14 as Flag Day. President
Harry Truman signed it into law.
Francis Scott Key, the author of our
national anthem, chose the flag as the
subject of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Key’s words describe the American
flag, “Whose broad stripes and bright
stars thru the perilous fight, O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly
streaming?”
As you know, Key was describing the
outcome of the battle at Baltimore in
1814. He saw the American flag, rather
than the British flag, flying at “dawn’s early light.”
Given the words of the poem that he
wrote, Key obviously found comfort in
seeing the American flag flying. Maybe
that is why today an American flag is
raised after terrible tragedies or battles. It
brings comfort and purpose to those
who have suffered.
We are approaching another Flag
Day, and I wonder how this day will be
observed.
From television news reports, I see
the U.S. flag being used as a symbol of
disdain, being torn, burned, stomped. I
see the U.S. flag being hung upside
down, a symbol, by the way, of distress. I
see students taking down the U.S. flag
and flying it below another country’s
flag. I see people refusing to stand when
the flag passes by or refusing to say the
pledge allegiance.
I also see people raise the U.S. flag at
scenes of tragedy, as in New York on Sept.
11, 2001, or after hurricanes Katrina and
Ike ravaged our coastlines. I see flags flying outside many businesses, homes,
schools, and on antennas of cars and
trucks. I see flags flying at sporting
events, and even flags high atop cranes
at construction sites.
The United States flag is a symbol.
That is an undisputed fact. What appears
to be disputed today is what this symbol
means.
June 14th is your opportunity to
show what the American flag symbolizes
to you. Fly it outside your business or
home – or not. You have the freedom to
choose. Many people in our country’s history have bravely fought and died to give
you that freedom. –dn
Page 32
The art in construction
First impressions count
L-R: Dan Block, Louis Gonzales and a church employee install the pulpit and staircase at St.
Mary’s Catholic Church in Fredericksburg. Gonzales rebuilt the moldings and woodwork on
the pulpit.
L-R: Jaime, Joe Luis, Marco, Alicia and Jael show off the new showroom
at San Marcos Iron Doors on Nakoma in San Antonio. San Marcos supplies
doors and other building materials to both the residential
and commercial construction industries. –kf
D
an Block, owner of K & K Antique
Restoration in San Antonio, had
no idea when he said “Yes” to a
cabinet project years ago that it would
propel him into the world of historical
building restoration.
Prior to answering that one request,
Block ran a successful antique furniture
restoration business. “A client of mine,
that we had redone a ton of antiques for,
had a kitchen custom built in Corpus
Christi. She called me and asked, ‘Can you
do the same finish on kitchen cabinets?’
“It was exciting and it was something
different. The referrals started. People
saw her kitchen and I would get a call.”
The snowball effect rolled into his
first commercial project at North Star
Mall to custom build, finish and install
large cherry benches.
“That was our first really big commercial job and that just started opening
doors,” Block said.
A historical door opened when Block
received a call from St. Mary’s Catholic
Church in Fredericksburg about restoring
a pulpit.
“I said, ‘Pulpits – we did some for a
synagogue. No big deal.’”
This one was different. Block said
the piece was probably built in the mid1800s and was torn out of the church in
1968 when it was going through a restoration. Despite its deteriorating condition, Block was amazed at the size and
complexity of the project, and appreciated the history the structure represented.
“It is probably one of the true gothicstyle churches in Texas. Walking into the
church, I was speechless.
“There is something really exciting
about doing something like this, especially when you are on site in this beautiful, old building and you are working on
things that were put up a hundred years
ago, and there you are, restoring it,” he
said. “You just pour a little bit of yourself
into every one of these big jobs, and
that’s half the fun of what we do. It’s not
always about the money, but the satisfaction of walking away and knowing we
put back history. It is truly a blessing to
have been asked to do this.”
The work on the pulpit with the attached stairway was challenging, according to Block. The height required that
Block remove ceiling tiles in order to
erect the structure in his workshop.
“It is just a frenzy of carvings, a lot of
religious icons, crosses. It has all been
done in cypress and mahogany. It was 12
coats of lacquer, wet sanded in between
every one, a lot of glazing, and a lot of
dye staining to enhance the shading. We
did it in a satin finish because we didn’t
want it to look too new. It is truly a piece
of art – we just amplified it.”
Block signed the back of the pulpit
and dated it before the installation.
“When I went to Fredericksburg with it
I was very nervous, because you never
know, but when I got a hug from the gentleman who was paying for it, and from the
business manager, I thought, “We are on!’”
The next step for Block is the crown
and upper canopy of the pulpit. “Then
they want me to do the confessionals and
all the ornate work over the confessionals
on site. It is going to be a little tricky because the church has to continue moving, so it will have to be done in stages.”
–kf

Re-lighting a Havana relic Arrowwood to the heart Home of their own

Transcription

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