An open door to realestate in the Sun City:An exclusive interview withRobert Ayoub

From SMALL to effiCient home office

“Blueprint to your FUTURE:

A SNEAK PEAK OF Downtown Co

nstruction & Beyond Magazine

MAY

-JUN

E 20

12 I

ssue

02

El Paso 2012and BEYOND

El Paso topinternships ”

Special thanks to:

The electionimpact:The Presidency

26“Fashion &Construction”: the new Generation

33

History & ConstructionThe MagoffinHOME

13

Sotoa: aninnovativebuillding idea

39

23An open door to realestate in the Sun City:An exclusive interview with

Robert Ayoub

25

22

Hommework2603 N. Stanton915-219-9041

STAFFEditors In Chief:Monica Saenzconstructionandbeyond@gmail.com

Alejandro Quevedoalejandro@innovadp.com

Editorial and Commercial Design: Innova Solutionscontacto@innovadp.com

Writer: Saray Argumedosaray.constructionandbeyond@gmail.com

Photography:Edward Louis DroutsasEde5632@aol.com

MKT assistant:Angelica Zuñigasales@innovadp.com

Advertising Executives:(915) 726-7307Monica Saenzconstructionandbeyond@gmail.com

Juan Carlos Seyffertjcseyffert@hotmail.com

For advertising informationplease email us at:constructionandbeyond@gmail.com •Office (915) 584-5569 •Juan Carlos Seyffert (915) 613-9424 •M. Monica Saenz (915) 726-7307 (915) 726-7582

Clothing Boutique for all InterviewsHOMMEWORK BOUTIQUEinfo@hommework.com

Construction & Beyond es una publicación bimensual y totalmente gratuita editada por C&B Todos los derechos son reservado. All rights reserved ® Copyright 2012 ©. Ninguna parte de ésta publicación puede ser reproducida parcial o totalmente sin el consentimiento previo. C&B no se responsabiliza por el contenido escrito en los artículos publicados; estos son responsabilidd única del autor.

[ EDITORIAL ]

Dear Reader,

Just like the cement is poured to make a foundation, we poured our hearts and creativity to bring you a unique concept,

Construction and Beyond Magazine. With our second issue we are laying the foundation to what is going to become a solid venue that is going to keep you informed on the latest issues concerning the construction industry in El Paso. A venue that is going to amaze you as we dig into the history of some of the most amazing building we have in our backyard. A venue that is going to open your eyes to a different side of the builder and keep you in the loop with industry’s leaders who paved the way for tomorrow’s leaders who are beginning to leave their mark.

It is a team effort and everyone in the staff is well prepared and plays a vital role that holds the magazine together. I have been in the industry of construction for more than 20 years as part of Elite, Wrought Iron Design and Production, a family business. I grew up absorbing the ins and outs of our many clients that included real estate agencies, financial agencies, and private home owners. I understand and genuinely care for the construction industry because is what I grew up with, it is what my family does, and because it is more than putting blocks together. Construction is fundamental in understanding who we are as a society.

I want to thank my family who gave me the blueprints to achieve my vision and a special thank you to my clients who supported me.

Businesswomen and businessmen of El Paso and surrounding cities, we are committed to bring you a strong product. We know we have passed the phase inspection is up to you to gives us the final.

Monica Saenz Executive Director.

eL PASO tOP inteRnSHiPS

BLUEPRINT

FUTURE

ARTICLECONSTRUCTION

Construction and BEYOND Mag-azine primed an investigation to find out why our fellow engi-

neering graduates are forced to leave El Paso to find jobs within their field and how companies are pushing for the talent to remain local. This investi-gation includes the story of two young men that believed in El Paso and now find themselves being successful in their own city. Local engineering graduates have found the need to look for jobs out-side of El Paso and/or are jobless after graduating with their bachelor of science in engineering. The Univer-sity of Texas at El Paso has gained a reputation throughout the years as having one of the best engineer-ing programs for Mexican-American students and beating The University of Texas in San Antonio by only a percentage in the best engineering schools in the state of Texas. This program has also made it to the His-panic Business Magazine for seven consecutive years in the top 10 and

3 years at #1. So our questions are, where exactly are these engineers and why is the city of El Paso spend-ing so much money in bringing out of state and international engineers to design our buildings?“The city doesn’t trust our local com-panies, they insist in bringing compa-nies from out of town to do our work when we already have plenty of great companies they can choose from,” stated Alejandro Saenz a civil engi-neer from El Paso, business owner of Setcon Construction and a UTEP Construction Management graduate student. Saenz was given the oppor-tunity to gain the experience neces-sary within the world of civil engineer-ing while still attending college. He began as an intern for Mega Con. and as a Project Engineer for Martinez Bros Contractors which are both local industrial companies. Saenz gradu-ated from UTEP with his bachelor of science in civil engineering in 2010, after graduating he was offered three jobs out of the city. Saenz stayed,

tO YOUR

6 l C&B

TOP 5 INTERNSHIPS FOR INDUSTRIAL MAJORS THIS

SUMMER 2012

• Tropicana Homes• Desert View Homes

(Accounting internships also available)

• Setcon Construction• Martinez Bros Contractors • MIMCO Inc. (Real estate related internships only)

ARTICLECONSTRUCTION

partnered up with his cousin Jaime Saenz another civil engineer from New Mexico State University and decided to start his own business. While interning with Martinez Bros Contractors, Saenz witnessed how the city of El Paso has limited the talent and hard work local companies have to offer.

“This specific project involved the wa-ter utility company and they didn’t give us the project because they said we weren’t capable of finishing it, they went ahead and gave it to a company from Colorado,” said Saenz. After the deci-sion was made Martinez Bros’ owner Eddie Martinez confronted the Public Service Board of Directors that had vot-ed against hiring any of the local com-panies that were biting for the project. He defended his company and speci-fied how he had 120 employees and three UTEP engineers that were more than capable of finishing the project but regardless of his anger he was still re-jected. “It is sad that they had to pick someone else from out of town, there was 13 directors that day one of them is the Dean of the College of Engineering at UTEP and he voted against us,” said Saenz. Unfortunately these local com-panies were obligated to lay off some of their workers.

Yet Saenz was not discouraged and this incident gave him the drive to start his own company in El Paso. Today, he finds himself giving back to the commu-nity and helping his fellow colleagues who are entering the field of engineer-ing.

“Our students are lacking the experi-ence necessary to exceed within their fields, we have plenty of local compa-nies who are willing to give out a helping hand,” stated Robert S. Ayoub, Presi-dent of MIMCO Inc. Commercial and Real Estate Management in El Paso. MIMCO Inc. is a real estate business that has been providing for the El Paso community since 1972. They have also offered local students the opportunity to intern within their company and have UTEP graduates and El Paso natives working with MIMCO today. It is impor-tant for students to be exposed to the real world before graduating with a pro-fessional degree. Various degrees have made internships an essential factor in a student’s curriculum. By the time they graduate they are obligated to have al-ready at least two internships to fill their resume.

Certain academias in El Paso have been preparing young adults before

7 l C&B

Saray Argumedo

entering a college or a uni-versity.

“I have learned all aspects that have to do with design-ing a house, come to under-stand the large commercial subdivision plan sets of land as far as plumbing, electrical, drainage and sewer as well as calculating how much material Tropi-cana will need.” said Ed-ward Arriaga Jr. a 19 year old Riverside High School graduate and now a De-sign Associate at Tropicana Homes, a local company that has been providing homes for the El Paso com-munity since the 1950’s. Arriaga on the other hand, was given the opportunity to intern with Tropicana Homes while attending high school.

Local high schools such as Riverside and Ys-leta High School have

been preparing future en-gineering and architecture majors in their vocational programs. They get intro-duced to all aspects within these fields and also get the opportunity to work with lo-cal builders that offer their students internships while attending high school.

These vocational programs not only help prepare future engineers and architects but they also teach their students discipline and re-sponsibility. The teachers

are responsible for person-ally calling local companies and asking if they have available internships for their students.

“Our teacher’s goal is to hand over the skills for us to use within the industry, it also benefits us when getting a job/career.” Ar-riaga interned with Tropi-cana Homes during Spring Break in 2010, a year later he was offered a job as a Design Associate. Arriaga is yet another fortunate El Pasoan that was given a helping hand by his very own community. Today, he is pursuing his education in architecture at El Paso Community College and plans on continuing his ca-reer at Texas Tech Health Sciences in El Paso.

It is voices such as Ale-jandro Saenz and Ed-ward Arriaga’s that give the youth hope and al-low them to witness that anything is possible. It is also an important factor to know that companies such as Tropicana Homes and Setcon Construc-tion are willing to provide the time and teach our students the necessary skills before striving to-wards their profession. El Paso’s future profes-sionals are the ones that will determine where this city will be in the years to come.

8 l C&B

The El Paso Association of Build-ers is many things to many peo-ple and most of all it’s the trade

organization for the new home build-ing business in El Paso. Our purpose is first and foremost making sure that we have a viable new home construc-tion industry in El Paso, in Texas and in the nation. How do we do that? By being active in legislative matters and making sure that our members are not put out of business by over-regulation, excessive mandates and especially by balancing what construction detrac-tors are saying about our industry. We must keep a vigil on activities at city council, in the internal departments at the city, at county levels, in Austin and in Washington, D.C... While we can do this routinely at the local the beauty of having a federation like ours is that we can have a presence in Austin through our affiliation with the Texas Associa-tion of Builders and in D. C. through our affiliation with the National Associ-ation of Home Builders. How effective are we? That’s a question that comes up often when we ask someone to join us and it’s one that’s easily answered in a way we can all understand.

According to the National Association of Home Builders there were over $3 billion worth of fees and regulations proposed in legislation in Congress last year that was never enacted. That means that through our lobbying ef-forts our members were not hit with $3 billion worth of potential fees or other government charges because we were able to stop them. Without a watchdog like our NAHB teams D. C. would run rampant on finding new ways to collect fees, impose regula-

tions, and interfere with your work. In Texas our efforts have had nearly as dramatic results and yet every year opponents of new home construction lobby legislators for stiffer fees, new rules, and threatening to stop devel-opment without regard to the need or the cost. Our efforts on behalf of build-ers, developers, and remodelers have a direct impact on restaurants, en-tertainment venues, car dealerships, shopping, and every aspect of daily living. Why? Because our members live and spend in their communities. No jobs, no spending and that would create an even more serious eco-nomic disaster. In El Paso alone our members are responsible for about 9,000 jobs directly from construction, while thousands others depend on the money that filters through the econ-omy. Our city would not be able to function without taxes, and new home construction is the engine on that. We not only generate it for one year but for the life of the home and in El Paso that means decades.

The El Paso Association of Builders invites you to visit our website www.elpasobuilders.com and look at who and what we are. In May we will em-bark on an aggressive membership drive that is open to anyone who is a supporter of new home construction in El Paso. Together we can continue to build a community that is affordable, practical, and provides housing for our population. Join us!

Check our website and get the infor-mation you need. The opportunity starts here.

El Paso Association of Builders 6046 Surety Dr. • El Paso Texas 79905 • Ph: 915-778-5387www.elpasobuilders.com

9 l C&B

10 l C&B

El departamento de impues-tos de los Estados Unidos, el Internal Revenue Service

(IRS), no tiene campañas de pu-blicidad que señalen específica-mente este tipo de deducciones, de hecho cada año, muchos pro-fesionistas no toman en cuenta este tipo de deducciones simple-mente porque no son consciente de ellas, o porque simplemente descuidan conservar los regis-tros necesarios para su deduc-ción.

Por eso a continuación presen-tamos las deducciones fiscales más importantes que debe cono-cer la persona que quiere ejercer su actividad profesional en Esta-dos Unidos.

Gastos de operacióndel negocioEsto incluye todos sus gastos or-dinarios y necesarios del nego-cio como alquiler, suministros y sueldos. Si su actividad incluye

mantener un inventario, estos gastos serán probablemente su mayor categoría de gastos y su mayor fuente de deducciones.

Gastos de representaciónMuchas reuniones de negocios importantes con clientes, contac-tos y todos los esfuerzos de mar-keting, se llevan a cabo común-mente en restaurantes, campos de golf o eventos deportivos. El derecho tributario reconoce esto y permite a profesionales deducir la mitad del costo de re-presentación relacionado con el negocio. Sin embargo, debido a que los contribuyentes han abu-sado de esta deducción en el pasado, el (IRS) impone normas estrictas, limitando los tipos y cantidad de gastos de represen-tación que se pueden deducir.

Gastos de transportaciónComo profesionista podemos deducir los costos y gastos de transporte local, si son norma-

Actualmente Estados Unidos repre-senta una oportunidad para aquellos que ejercemos una profesión y estamos emigrando o hemos emigrado de Mé-xico; además de todas las cuestiones legales que debemos saber para re-validar nuestros estudios, es importante conocer las deducciones fiscales que tenemos derecho cuando queremos ejercer nuestra práctica profesional.

ARTICLECONSTRUCTION

Qué tipo de

tienen derecho los

en USA?

dEdUccionES

pRoFESioniSTAS

PHOTO: PAUL MEZA

11 l C&B

les y necesarios para su negocio. No importa cómo viaje--por coche, van, SUV, limusina, moto, taxi, autobús o tren--o si el automóvil que se utiliza es propiedad de o en arrendamiento, esto incluye la gasolina y mantenimiento del vehículo. Pero, cuidado: los gastos de transportación son una bandera roja para el IRS. Son el elemento número uno que los auditores del IRS miran cuando examinan las pequeñas em-presas, en parte porque la mayoría de la gente usa el mismo auto para uso personal y de negocios.

1 Gastos de viajesNuestra actividad profesional está ex-puesta a viajar, por lo tanto podemos deducir los gastos de viajes como pa-sajes aéreos, facturas de hotel y otros gastos relacionados con lo mismo. Si por alguna razón sus viajes incluyen algunos días de esparcimiento, aún puede obtener una deducción. Sin embargo, los auditores del (IRS) revi-san detenidamente estas deducciones cuando se dan este tipo de situaciones; por eso para evitar esta situación reco-mendamos que se mantengan regis-tros adecuados y comprender las limi-taciones a esta deducción.

2 Activos a largo plazoLos activos a largo plazo son propiedad del negocio y se espera que puedan durar más de un año. Para los profesio-nistas, normalmente incluyen mobilia-rio de oficina, equipo médico, dental u otros equipos especializados, edificios, mejoras a locales arrendados, automó-viles y libros. Existen dos formas bási-cas que se pueden deducir los activos

a largo plazo: depreciarlos (deducir al-gunos de los costos cada año durante la vida útil del activo) o mediante una planeación fiscal que permita deducir el costo total en un año.

3 Inicio de la deducción de oficina compartida Si, como muchos profesionales, que re-gularmente trabajan en casa, se puede reclamar la deducción de la oficina en casa. (Se puede utilizar esta deducción incluso si tienes una oficina exterior donde se realiza la mayor parte del tra-bajo.) Sin embargo, si se desea utilizar esta deducción, debemos hacerlo co-rrectamente, existen requisitos estric-tos que se deben seguir. Para reclamar la deducción dependerá en parte del tipo de entidad empresarial que se tie-ne registrada.

4 Renta de oficinasUna oficina que se renta representa muchas oportunidades para las deduc-ciones fiscales, prácticamente todos los gastos de oficina son deducibles, incluyendo la renta, los gastos por ser-vicios, seguro, reparaciones, mejoras y mantenimiento.

5 Seguro de gastos medicosComo empresarios profesionistas, contamos con una ventaja que muchos otros no tienen en relación con los cos-tos de atención de la salud, se pueden deducir muchos de los costos de segu-ro de gastos médicos de los impuestos. Además, se pueden deducir una amplia variedad de gastos médicos no ase-gurados, incluyendo medicamentos, acupuntura, gastos médicos dentales y anteojos.

6 Planes de jubilaciónCuando se trata de ahorrar para la ju-bilación, los profesionistas, se encuen-tran en mejor posición que aquellos empleados de la mayoría de las empre-sas. Esto es porque el Gobierno federal permite a profesionistas y propietarios de pequeñas empresas, configurar cuentas de jubilación individuales dise-ñadas específicamente para ellos. Es-tas cuentas ofrecen ventajas enormes en relación al pago de impuestos, por-que que están destinadas a maximizar la cantidad de dinero que se puede ubi-car en las cuentas de impuestos diferi-dos durante los años de trabajo.

7 Gastos de nomina por contratación de trabajadoresSe podrá deducir todo lo que usted paga por sueldos y salarios como parte de los gastos de operación del nego-cio. Si usted contrata a un contratista independiente para realizar servicios para su práctica, usted puede deducir el monto total que paga como parte de los gastos de operación.

Por último recuerde que la cuenta de su contador es deducible así que ase-gúrese de incluirla como parte de las deducciones fiscales en su declara-ción de impuestos del año que viene. Como siempre le recordamos que aquí en Paul Meza, CPA contamos con especialistas con amplia expe-riencia en impuestos, que le pueden asesorar al momento de establecer su práctica profesional en Estados Unidos.

Office (915) 544-1040Fax (915) 544-1044Cel (915) 276-2949pmeza@paulmezacpa.com

1325 Montana 2nd FloorEl Paso, TX 79902

12 l C&B

All buildings have a story to tell, but only a few can be traced back to its creation. As time has gone by many of these historical buildings have either been demolished or departed of its originality. Construction and BEYOND Magazine brings to you our region’s most momentous buildings that still enlighten us today.

Written By: Saray ArgumedoEdited by: Leslie Bergloff, Magoffin Home Site ManagerSpecial Thanks goes out to; Leslie Bergloff, Mo Humble,

Texas Historical Commission, Stoddard Construction Man-agement Inc., Alpine Electric, ACE Insolation, Mike Castillo

and InterCubes Roofing.

HISTORY &

CONSTRUCTION

13 l C&B

Magoffinsville

14 l C&B

Think about the smell of old El Paso. When no refineries were polluting our city, no railroads and when the

industry within building a home was bare hands, dirt, sand, wood and water. At a time when it was just a desert and only a few buildings could be seen with-in the horizon. A well maintained piece of that era still stands today in the heart of El Paso, also known as the Magoffin Home. The year was 1857 when Joseph Magoffin and his wife Octavia Magoffin decided they wanted to build a home for themselves in El Paso. With the help of the indigenous communities of El Paso Del Norte they built the adobe hacienda east of downtown on property they had inherited from Joseph’s father James Wiley Magoffin. The Magoffin Home consisted of 6 rooms and a large hall with an outbuilding of 3 rooms that were 40 feet south of the house. Over time, 12 more rooms were added connecting the two buildings and creating an en-closed courtyard. The building is one of the best existing examples of Territo-rial style architecture in the Southwest. One of the oldest surviving adobes in

the region, the Magoffin Home was list-ed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Joseph Magoffin was born in Chihua-hua Mexico, and educated in the United States. He had first come to this area in 1856 to work at his father’s mercantile in Magoffinsville. After serving in the Civil War he returned to the area and became an advocate for the develop-ment of El Paso. He was a business-man and served as a county judge, a four term mayor and in many other pub-lic offices. His wife Octavia was a social leader and was active in Catholic chari-ties. The couple was well known for their hospitality and entertained guests frequently at the Home.

This home in particular was the very first home in El Paso to have glass win-dows brought on wagon all the way from San Antonio and after the railroads had established throughout the region, the Magoffin’s were also the first to receive the first pianos by train. Though Joseph Magoffin passed away in 1923, his de-

scendants continued to live in the home until 1986. Over the years, they added their own styles and renovations to the appearance of the interior rooms. Till this day, you can still see the different phases of style that the home encoun-tered throughout the years.

The 100 year old home and its inimi-table architecture still stands and is looking better than it has in the past 50 years. The Magoffin Home has been under renovation since July 2011, the Texas Historical Commission, who op-erates the home, obtained funding from the state legislature to do this important preservation project. “Extensive preser-vation work has been completed includ-ing the installation of a new roof, adobe and plaster repairs, replacement of the shutters and the application of a lime wash to the exterior walls, an unusual variety of faux finishes that were origi-nal to the Home in the late 1800s,” stat-ed Leslie Bergloff the Magoffin Home Site Manager. Stoddard Construction Management Inc. has been the general contractor on the project. Mo Humble, their site superintendent hired many local companies and workers to assist with the preservation work. The Ma-goffin Home will once again open their doors to the El Paso community on May 12, 2012. Representative Marisa Mar-quez including the executive director of the Texas Historical Commission Mark Wolf and El Paso City Manager Joyce Wilson will have the honor to cut the rib-bon and mark the re-grand opening to the Magoffin Home.

The year was 1857 when Joseph Magoffin and his wife Octavia Magoffin de-cided they wanted to build a home for themselves in El Paso. With the help of the indigenous communi-ties of El Paso Del Norte...

15 l C&B

16 l C&B

17 l C&B

SUBSCRIBER NEWSWe offer a full service Plan Room at our location on 1155 Westmoreland Suite 109 EL Paso TX 79925

We are dedicated to giving our members the most up to date Construction Information News in the Region.

Project Name: HAFB Design/Build FY12 Paral-lel Taxiway, Runway 07/25Project Address: Holloman AFB NM Alamogordo, NMCounty: OteroBid Date: April 17, 2012 at 2pm MDTProject Estimated Cost: $6.4 millionContractor Bidding: XX Plans @Planit YES PDF XXPrebid Conference & Site Visit: March 29 at 10:30am on site RSVP by March 26:

POC Amber Scyoc by Fax 575-479-4287 or email: Amber.L.Scyoc@usace.army.milOwner: US Army Corp of EngineersProject Summary: Con-struction and design services to be performed under this firm fixed priced contract will consist of the design and construction of a taxiway par-allel to Runway 07/25 extend-ing from the existing Taxiway Foxtrot eastward to intersect with the new taxiway Delta being constructed.

Project Name: HACEP Rehabilitation for Julian Telles Community CenterProject Address: 8909 Old County Dr./El PasoCounty: El Paso Bid Date: April 9, 2012 at 2pm Project Estimated Cost: N/AContractor Bidding: XX Plans @Planit YES PDF XXPrebid Conference & Site Visit: March 14 at 2pm/HACEP OfficesOwner: Housing Authority City of El Paso

Project Summary: The Work of the Project consist of 6,149 sf alterations and renovations for Julian Telles Community Center for HACEP and to include a multipurpose room, office, computer lab, site improvements and adapt the existing infrastructure to accessibility.

BIDDERSMatyear Construction Co. IncBlair HallDantex ConstructionF T James Construction

Project Name: SISD Eastlake High School- Phase IIIProject Address: Eastlake HS/1300 Emerald Pass Ave/El Paso, TXCounty: El PasoBid Date: April 10, 2012 at 10am MDTProject Estimated Cost: $48 millionSub-Bidding: XX Plans @Planit YES PDF XXPrebid Conference & Site Visit: March 27 at 1pm/ Eastlake HS Orchestra Rm

Owner: Landscape Architectural Services Inc.Project Summary: The new building area is approximately 245,910 square feet. New building areas will include auditorium, workshops, stage, music rooms, Animal Science Lab, Law Enforcement Lab, Floral Arrangement lab, science labs, art rooms, Culinary Arts, kitchens and dining room, auxiliary gymnasium, classrooms, computer labs, store buildings and ancillary spaces.

Project Name: UTEP Student Recreation CenterProject Address: UTEP/3124 Sun Bowl Dr./El Paso, TXCounty: El PasoBid Date: April 10, 2012 between 9am to 2pm at Vaughn Const Trailer/3120-B Sun Bowl Dr. across from UTEP Police Dept.Project Estimated Cost: Pending Confirmation

Sub-Bidding: XX Plans @Planit YES PDF XXPrebid Conference & Site Visit: April 4 from 10am to 11am/UTEP Physical Plant Conference Room/3120 Sun Bowl Dr.Owner: University of Texas at El PasoProject Summary: The work consist of improve-ments to the UTEP Student Recreation Center- Swim-ming and Fitness Center Phase 2

PREVIOUS ISSUE WINNERSYISD CLASSROOM REMODEL AT EASTWOOD KNOLLS ES:AWARD TO: Matyear Construction Co Inc 3330 Mountain Ave / El Paso TX 79930 $145,610.00

TXDOT Replacing Low Water Crossing 6233-55-001 - El PasoLow Bidders: - 4 BIDS SUBMITTED LESNA CONSTRUCTION $ 27,698.50 MYBK $ 31,553.00

M & S CONCRETE $ 37,190.00La Clinica De Familia and Dental Clinic – Las Cruces, NMAward: ESA Construction 120 Paragon Lane / El Paso TX 79912

MATOC – (Multiple Award Task Order Contract for Albuquerque / El Paso / Amarillo)Bid Results have not been released by Government Agency Bid February 29, 2012

EL PASO- Think about a city with a downtown district that attracts any individual by just passing

throughout it, with mobile food vendors available at your appetites convenience and local musicians enlightening you with their music as you walk down the streets. Think about a downtown with affordable retail stores where all your family can shop at a convenient price, and a city with breathtaking renovated historical buildings that could make you feel as if you were there when they were first built. Seems beautiful doesn’t it? Well congratulations, you are a part of that city!

Central Business Association (CBA) has been painting this picture for El Paso’s City Council for quite some time now. Dennis Melonas has been the Executive Director of CBA since 2003; both he and his staff have been work-ing hard at bringing a little more than just Christmas lights to downtown El Paso. “We are trying to engage busi-ness owners, brokers, property own-ers, downtown brokers, downtown en-tity to empower themselves with the city of El Paso, to create a new energy downtown,” said Melonas. CBA has been focusing on attracting the El Paso community to the downtown district, from shopping locally to having a family day at La Plaza de los Lagartos. CBA has been an active member of the com-munity since 1957, they are comprised of local bankers, lawyers, merchants, property owners and community lead-ers creating a new environment to do business in downtown El Paso.

“My job is to make downtown a place people want to go to, if you are one to believe in staying local, and keep-ing everything local you must shop

downtown, at least 90% of the stores downtown are locally owned.” CBA collaborated with 915lifestyle.com and created a short video where they take a random woman from El Paso and give her a makeover. The makeover is all done in downtown, she gets every-thing from clothes, shoes, make-up and hair styled. This video was presented to El Paso’s City Council anticipating that they would extend a helping hand to help improve downtown, “They were blown away,” Melonas said.

CBA has also unified with local projects such as the Permaculture Group, they created the Alleys Beautification Pro-ject in which they clean downtown al-leys and plant vegetable gardens, “We are also working with Dr. Yolanda Ley-va, David Romo and the Museo Urbano trying to re-establish the walking tour, pretty much just familiarizing El Paso with its historical buildings.”

El Centro De Trabajadores Agricolas has also become a huge importance in CBA’s agenda. These farm work-ers have to wake up at 3 am to catch a bus to the fields, CBA has been se-curing the streets while the workers walk downtown and are hoping to get a license where they can have a mobile vendor that can provide them with free coffee before heading out. Neverthe-less, aside from all the environmental and historical activities CBA has begun this 2012; they have also been working to create an accessible procedure for those involved in the world of business. They plan on dedicating the next 5 years to improve the downtown district, from renovating historical buildings to persuading local business owners to move their businesses downtown.

2012 & BEYOND

A sneak Downtown

19 l C&B

““They want to create affordable

rent for business owners, but most importantly they want to

make it convenient for the people to shop, if the people shop then business blooms.

Free parking on Saturdays is going to be a huge jump start to down-town, we are very close at bringing that to the city council agenda and we believe we will have enough votes for that to pass,” said Melonas.

CBA has been working close with El Paso’s Sun Metro to influence the El Pasoan to take advantage of public transportation. Sun Metro currently has a free of charge bus downtown at a 9 to 10% capacity that nobody uses, the bus goes from the downtown transfer center all the way to Magoffin

Avenue and back. What CBA is pro-posing at City Hall is for it to go from El Paso Street then for it to take a right on Overland or San Antonio and for it to go down Stanton, creating a triangular route and convenient for pedestrians. “We are also trying to bring the trolleys back, just put the word GRATIS on it or on the bus and people will jump on it, this could make my job a lot easier.” Public restrooms, mobile food ven-dors, street performers, security patrol and outdoor events are just the begin-ning of proposals on CBA’s 2012 sum-mer TO DO List. “For those already liv-ing in Segundo Barrio there is no need to feel intruded, we are celebrating their culture and where they live,” said Melonas, “People need to be proud of El Paso and its untouched beauty, I re-fuse to go home at the end of the day and say we haven’t done anything.”

20 l C&B

• cEMEX Vinton 8611 North Desert Blvd

• cEMEX Toro (Westside) 3125 W. Paisano• cEMEX McKelligon canyon . (Central) 4701 Alabama

• cEMEX Mccombs (Northeast) 6101 Stan Roberts

• cEMEX Section 10 (Eastside) 2050 Cherrington

WE SELL TO THE pUBLic

ceMeX is a global building materials company that provides high quality products and reliable service to cus-

tomers and communities throughout el Paso and the Southern new Mexico region. We pro-duce, distribute, and sell cement, ready-mix concrete, aggregates, and related building materials in more than 50 countries, and we maintain trade relationships in approximately 102 nations.

Our concrete and aggregate products are used in the construction of local roads and bridges, hospitals, schools, hotels and other commercial/retail projects. CeMeX provides the same materials to the local “do it your self” homeowner along with decora-tive rock for their landscaping projects. Ce-MeX has several locations throughout the el Paso area as well as Las Cruces, La Luz, and Ruidoso, new Mexico.

Visit a location near you to purchase materi-als for your next landscaping or remodeling project.

• Concrete Orders and Information is at 915 564-1600• Asphalt, Aggregate and Decorative Stone orders and information is at 915 564-8400• Business and Main Office is at 915 565-4681

22 l C&B

His love for the world of real es-tate drove him to attain the title of president at one of the biggest

real estate companies in the Southwest region. It all began when Robert S. Ayoub’s grandfather came to El Paso in 1902; his father was born and raised in the Sun City, making Robert a 2nd gen-eration El Pasoan. His mother on the other hand was from Chicago, Illinois and while visiting San Francisco, Cali-fornia she met her soul mate Ayoub’s father right before being shipped over-seas during the war. The couple mar-ried after the war and moved to El Paso where little Robert S. Ayoub was born and raised. Ayoub attended Jesuit High

School in El Paso and graduated to pur-suit his education in accounting at the University of Texas at El Paso. “I was very lucky because I got an account-ing degree, I was able to get a job and being that I was from El Paso I knew a couple of people in the business that helped me out and having a lot of family here made it easy for me to stay.” Be-fore joining MIMCO Inc., Ayoub worked in public and private accounting for 5 years, with due time he opened the door to the world of commercial real es-tate brokerage where he dedicated 20 years of his life. He partnered up with the MIMCO Inc. family in 1992, “I came on board and we started expanding the

company, it started off with 3 of us and now we have around 30 employees,” said Ayoub.

MIMCO Inc. was founded in 1972 by Meyer D. Marcus, it started off as a family business owning mostly apart-ments and one or two commercial apartments in El Paso, then grew with some small commercial properties. Af-ter MIMCO was formed they began to pursue commercial properties, “I came along in 1994 we got rid of all the apart-ments and focused strictly on commer-cial markets,” stated Ayoub. Since then, MIMCO Inc. has become one of the biggest real estate and property man-

ROBERT AYOUB

MAININTERVIEW

An open door to real estate in the Sun City:An exclusive interview with:

23 l C&B

agement companies in the Sun City, expanding throughout Texas and New Mexico. Today, MIMCO Inc. owns over 225 properties in El Paso, San Antonio, Brownsville, Hidalgo and Pharr Texas including properties in Las Cruces and Alamogordo New Mexico. Their main focus has been to help small group of investors, having the skills necessary to handle all their real estate in terms of buying, developing, leasing and sell-ing, in addition to building buildings and renovating retail shopping centers. “We have evolved into an entity whose goal is to provide great places to shop for our tenants, things like maintenance are very important to us, we are not afraid to put our name on our buildings,” said Ayoub, “We want to have the best oc-cupied and best maintained real estate in the city, whichever city we might find ourselves in.”

As 2012 emerged, the economy throughout the United States has been on a bumpy road to foresee

stability. Fortunately, one of the rea-sons why El Paso’s economy was not hit as bad as other cities was because of Fort Bliss’s growth and the influx of business owners from Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua and the Chihuahua region have had the need to migrate due to the violence. A company such as MIMCO

Inc. has also seen somewhat of a ben-efit from this in El Paso according to Mr. Ayoub, “Many of our businesses are local franchisees or individual business owners that provide a huge impact to El Paso that includes both sales for the city and for every thou-sand square feet, two to three new jobs are created.” Several of MIMCO Inc.’s tenants have been from Mexico but the number has decreased from two years ago. MIMCO Inc.’s work throughout El Paso is in addition to the company’s ef-

forts to be a big part of the community. “We work with a lot of local non-profit organizations and believe in support-ing the community.” MIMCO Inc. has not only helped local business owners but has hired professional El Pasoans to join them and have their input on the company. “A good portion of the people working for us is from El Paso, we have some UTEP students and graduates, UT Austin graduates, Baylor and Stan-ford Graduates, basically El Paso kids that took off and came back, we defi-nitely need more companies like us,” stated Ayoub. Throughout the years El Paso has seen more students leaving the city because the lack of jobs, Ayoub believes that the jobs are here but stu-dents are not willing to take some time to gain the experience necessary, “We believe in helping our future profession-als just as I was once helped, MIMCO Inc. hires a new intern every year.” The man himself has been an active mem-ber within the El Paso community he is President of the Realtors Commercial Alliance of the Greater El Paso Asso-ciation of Realtors, a member of the CCIM West Texas Chapter, a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Business Asso-ciation, and President of the Board of

Directors of the of the Downtown Man-agement District. Robert Ayoub’s busy schedule has not been one to stop him from stepping foot into the chapter of unconditional love. He is happily married to his wife of 37 years Celeste Collins Ayoub, the couple met on a blind date. Mrs. Ayoub is also an El Pasoan, they have two boys the eldest is Rob Ayoub who is 36 years old and is a computer security analyst with Fortinet in San Antonio, Texas where he lives with his wife Cheri, and daugh-ter Hailey. The youngest of the Ayoub family is Joseph Ayoub who is 32 years old and lives in Las Cruces where he is a Family Counselor and works for Fam-ily and Youth Inc.

“Real estate is my second love, for those pursuing a career in real estate I suggest to get your feet wet first,” stated Ayoub, “Work hard in school, network and get involved in your community.”

EL PASO- “Real estate has been a big part of my life, it is like a piece of art you can put your hands around, something that you own,” said Robert S. Ayoub, an El Paso native that ascended his passion for accounting to work as a local commercial real estate broker.

24 l C&B

Commercial Real Estate Management & Investments

25 l C&B

The Election Impact: The Presiden-cy During the coming months, the elections will likely become an in-

creasingly potent driver of the markets. While we believe the impact for changes to the makeup of Congress may be more meaningful than the presidential elec-tion, we will tackle that in a later com-mentary. In this month’s commentary, we focus on the presidential election’s relationship to the performance of the markets and economy.

MARKET IMPACT ON ELECTION

The stock market does not predict the outcome of the election. A strong stock market does not appear to favor an incumbent nor has a weak stock market acted as material negative. For example: Franklin D. Roosevelt was re-elected in a landslide victory in 1940, despite losses in the S&P 500 in the third and fourth years of his term.

Incumbent George H. W. Bush lost in 1992, even with a 57% gain in the stock market during his tenure. Al Gore was unable to secure the presi-dency in 2000, despite the powerful eight-year stock market gain while under his party’s tenure in the White House. History shows that voters are unwill-ing to attribute moves in the market directly to presidents, either positive or negative.

IMpACT:The Presidency

During the coming months, the elections will likely become an increasingly potent driver

of the markets. While we believe the impact for changes to the makeup of Congress may

be more meaningful than the presidential election, we will tackle that in a later...

..commentary.

THE ELECTION

26 l C&B

ELECTION IMPACT ON MARKET Historically, the election does appear to have a significant impact on the stock market. This is explained, in part, by the material impact on corporate prof-its of regulatory policy guided by the White House and legislation passed by Congress. Industries that are heavily regulated are the most affected; these include:

• Health Care• Utilities• Telecommunications• Media• Energy• Materials• Financials

A key reason for this historical pattern of stock market performance during a presidential term is the greater amount of economic stimulus, in the form of both monetary and fiscal policy, applied during year two and three, which then begins to fade in year four.

Since this stimulus affects the econo-my with a lag of around a year, stock market performance tends to follow this pattern of stimulus, leaving years one and two paying the price for the better years three and four leading up to the election. Looking out to 2013, there has been no significant performance differ-ence in the year after the presidential election based purely on which political party won the White House.

Instead, the stock market has been more likely to respond to whether the incumbent political party won or lost. This is intuitive, since another term for the same party will likely result in a more consistent political, legislative, and regulatory environment than if the balance of power shifts to that of a new administration, raising the level of un-certainty. The uncertainty can be seen, when incumbents lose, in the greater risk aversion for both corporate leaders in pursuit of earnings growth and inves-tors in the form of valuations.

During the turbulent period of the 1920s, 30s, and early 40s that includ-ed the stock market crash of 1929, the Great Depression, and World War II, the stock market favored challengers over incumbents.

From the mid-1940s until the early 1970s, the stock market reaction to the election outcome was mixed—neither favoring nor fretting over incumbents.

WEEKLY MARKET COMMENTARY

Over the three decades from the mid-1970s to the mid-2000s, noted for above-average stock market returns and lengthy economic expansions, investors appear to have displayed a strong preference for incumbents. It may be that the cycle is repeating and the current turbulent period is prompt-ing voters to once again favor challeng-ers over incumbents. It is notable that the best years for bonds have been during the first two years of a presidential term. This is no doubt related to the more simula-tive (and potentially inflationary) fiscal and monetary policy that takes effect in years three and four.

ECONOMIC IMPACT ON ELECTION The impact of the economy on the elec-tion can most clearly be seen through the relationship between income growth in the year leading up to the election and election results. After-tax income growth of about 3–4% appears to be the threshold for incumbents to get 50% of the popular vote. This measure of per capital income, contained in last week’s Personal Income and Spending report, is only growing at 0.3%.

27 l C&B

28 l C&B

Election Impact on Economy The outcome of this year’s elec-tion may be more consequential,

given that itwill help to determine the path taken in 2013 to address the U.S.’s fiscal chal-lenges including the debt ceiling and potential debt downgrades. In addition, the tax increases and spending cuts in 2013 already written into existing legis-lation amount to 3.5% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product), the largest percent-age since 1947.

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES:

1) To determine which investment(s) may be appropriate for you, consult

your financial advisor prior to investing. The economic forecasts set forth in

the presentation may not develop as predicted and there can be no guar-antee that strategies promoted will be successful.

2) Bonds are subject to market and interest rate risk if sold prior to ma-

turity. Bond values and yields will de-cline as interest rates rise and bonds are subject to availability and change in price.

3) Government bonds and Treasury Bills are guaranteed by the U.S.

government as to the timely payment of principal and interest and, if held to maturity, offer a fixed rate of return and fixed principal value. However, the value of fund shares is not guaranteed and will fluctuate.

4) The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index is a capitalization-

weighted index of 500 stocks de-signed to measure performance of the broad domestic economy through changes in the aggre-gate market value of 500 stocks representing all major industries. Ibbotson Intermediate Term Gov-ernment Bond Index is measured using a one bond portfolio with a maturity near five years.

5) Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the monetary value

of all the finished goods and ser-vices produced within a country’s borders in a specific time period, though GDP is usually calculated on an annual basis. It includes all of private and public consumption, government outlays, investments and exports less imports that oc-cur within a defined territory.

6) Earnings per share (EPS) is the portion of a company’s profit al-

located to each outstanding share of common stock. EPS serves as an indi-cator of a company’s profitability. Earn-ings per share is generally considered to be the single most important variable in determining a share’s price. It is also a major component used to calculate the price-to-earnings valuation ratio.

7) Municipal bonds are subject to availability, price, and to market and

interest rate risk if sold prior to maturity. Bond values will decline as interest rate rise. Interest income may be subject to the alternative minimum tax. Federally tax-free but other state and local taxes may apply.

Written By: Enrique Tellez-GironGlobal Financial Networks

29 l C&B

TRINNYTI

30 l C&B

31 l C&B

32 l C&B

FASHION

A new generation of engineers has emerged in the Sun City. They have the passion, the drive and the energy to help improve the community and make it a place

of endless possibilities for the years to come. Alejandro Saenz and Jaime Saenz are both young professional Civil Engineers and owners of Setcon Construction, a company that has given birth to a new era within construction for the El Paso and New Mexico region.

& CONSTRUCTION thegeneration

NEW

>>

Written By: Saray Argumedo

33 l C&B

C&B: Hello Alejandro and Jaime thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us.

Alejandro Saenz: No, thank you Saray and thank Construction and Beyond Magazine for this opportunity. C&B: You’re very welcome gentlemen. So please do explain how this hap-pened? I mean, you both are young, only a few years fresh out of college and already have a business. Wow! What is your secret? We often have our fellow El Pasoan’s leave after graduating college, so please do explain!

Jaime Saenz: (Laughter) Well I can honestly say that our parents motivated us to accomplish what we have today. We both knew what we wanted and we didn’t stop till we got it. There is no se-cret to it, all you need to do is put all your heart and passion on something you re-ally want and I guarantee you that you can definitely make it happen.

Jaime Saenz is a graduate from Tec-nológico de Monterrey campus in Chi-huahua and received his Bachelor’s

FASHION &CONSTRUCTION

Jaime Saenz: BACHElOR Of SCIENCE IN CIVIl ENgINEERINg / Owner wearing HOMMEWORK Comund Black Denim JacketG-Star Blade Slim Denim

34 l C&B

of Science in Civil Engineering from New Mexico State University in 2011. He plans on going back to school to obtain his mas-ters degree but would like to enjoy and gain enough working experience with his new company. After a hard day of work Jaime likes to play football, soccer and enjoys rid-ing his motorcycle.

C&B: A question I had in mind when be-ing told I was going to interview two young business owners was, have you guys found it difficult to fit in and or found it competitive to work with older business owners?

A.S: Good question, and no, surprisingly we have been helped and guided by other company owners like ourselves. They see that we are young and instead of feeling threatened they help us out. Alejandro Saenz is a Coronado High School graduate and received his Bach-elor’s of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Texas at El Paso in 2010. Saenz is currently working on his master’s degree in Construction Management. Be-tween being a graduate student, and man-

FASHION &CONSTRUCTION

Alejandro Saenz: BACHElOR Of SCIENCE IN CIVIl ENgINEERINg / Owner wearing HOMMEWORK Comund Black Denim JacketG-Star Blade Slim Denim

35 l C&B

Written By: Saray Argumedo

aging his own business Saenz’s hob-bies are show jumping and has won 1st place in regional competitions.

C&B: Very nice, it is great to hear El Paso has some helping hands out there. What has been your biggest ac-complishment in El Paso as far as the industry within construction goes?

A.S: I believe it was the ENVY night lounge right Jaime? (Jaime nods) This was a special project; the owner came to us late November after going to 8 other contractors and stated he wanted to reconstruct the old Republic club before New Year ’s Eve. I went ahead and looked at the plans and took a look at the magnitude of the project, we only had a few weeks so we started off December 1st. We found ourselves working from 6 in the morning to 11 at night with two sets of shifts for my em-ployees and myself. Well, I had to work both shifts because I was the supervi-sor. This project was estimated to be a 10 weeks project and we got it done in 3 weeks and a half. Sure enough our client was able to open up for the New Year’s party.

C&B: Impressive job! Talk about having energy!

J.S: (Laughter) Why thank you, it was a challenge but we enjoyed every second of it and so did the owner. Growing up both Alejandro and Jaime had a love for building. A.S: Well, growing up I was always a LEGOS kind of boy, I wanted to build everything out of LEGOS but then I be-gan liking architecture. I came to find out that architecture was more about designing than actually constructing and I really loved working outdoors. I was about 10 years old when I found out about civil engineering.

J.S: As for me I have always found bridges fascinating. They are beauti-ful structures and pieces of art yet they can hold a huge amount of capacity while still connecting and transferring vehicles and people to another scen-ery.

Regardless of the education they gained at UTEP and NMSU they stress to emphasize that family was what gave them the ambition to be where they are at today.

C&B: So what kept you guys in El Paso?

A.S: As for myself, I have everything here. I have my family and El Paso is

beautiful, we have no reason to leave. I am someone here and wouldn’t be Alejandro Saenz elsewhere.

J.S: I agree with Alejandro, we have the warmth of our family here and we are excited to be a part of what El Paso is becoming.

C&B: What is your message to our future engineers?

J.S: Well to follow your heart, set your mind and accomplish what fulfills you. All you need is to have the passion and drive as your motor to keep going.

A.S: See Saray, people say I’m crazy, mostly my father (Laughter) but all I can say is to just have the drive, the want, to accomplish whatever you want like Jaime said and that your biggest obsta-cle is yourself and fear is what is going to prevent you from getting what you want. Investigate it, analyze it and go for it, don’t let your fears stop you. Setcon Construction has been boom-ing with only a year in the business, they find themselves currently working on a project in Carlsbad New Mexico and plan on expanding the company in the state of Texas and New Mexico. This was Saray Argumedo with “The Builders Talk,” till next time.

Very nice, it is great to hear El Paso has some helping hands out there. What has been your biggest accomplishment in El Paso as far as the industry within construction goes?

36 l C&B

37 l C&B

38 l C&B

SOTOA:an INNOVATIVEb u i l d i n g i d e a

• Building Name: Sotoak • Address: 500 W. Overland In the heart of Downtown’s Union Plaza District• S.F.: Over 100,000 square foot building. • Use: Office and Data Center Space. Some storage / warehouse space

39 l C&B

V isiting the Sotoa building at 500 W. Overland, one can’t help but feel the comfortable mix

of industrial and modern. The build-ing was built in 1949 for Hicks and Ponder as a jean manufacturing facil-ity. During the late 1990’s, the then owners began converting the 1st floor of the building into a Data Center for multi-national telecom companies. A decade ago the building contained approximately 3,000 square feet of data center space while the rest of the facility was leased to retail merchants who used the 2nd and 3rd floor as storage and warehouse space. The telecom and dot com bust of 2000 – 2001 delayed the development of the data center; however, the resurgence of the internet and companies such as Google, Facebook, and others has increased the amount of data and increased the need for data centers capable of housing servers that can provide numerous services.

The owners were originally drawn to the building as tenants of the data center. Sotoa felt it was important to partici-pate and lead efforts to improve and revitalize downtown El Paso and saw

a unique opportunity to purchase and transform the building into a leading fa-cility with office and data center space. The building was purchased in 2007 and renovations began with the build-ing exterior and its systems. The build-ing utilizes Leadership in Energy Effi-ciency Design (LEED) components to both reduce operating costs and offer a modern, sustainable, and eco-friendly office space alternative in downtown El Paso. The building’s systems includ-ing HVAC, mechanical, electrical and plumbing were upgraded to handle the demands of a multi-tenant office build-ing. The building’s unique renovation utilized “green” products to transform the building from its previous life as a jean manufacturing facility to a con-temporary and energy efficient center of commerce and telecommunications hub.

The building has significant broadband connectivity / infrastructure given its history as a data center and its proxim-ity to major transcontinental telecom infrastructure running along the railroad right of way. The data center and build-ing are served by back-up battery pow-er and an emergency generator that

provide redundancy and peace of mind. The building is home to a number of exciting and innovative companies rep-resenting industries including telecom, consumer products, software and web development, and non-profits. The Hub of Human Innovation and Innovate El Paso are two non-profits dedicated to incubating exciting companies and en-trepreneurs and providing resources to help grow those companies. Urban Station, an executive office provider, will open its doors at Sotoa this sum-mer offering office space and amenities to smaller tenants on short-term leases. The building has office space available ranging from 2,000 to 8,000 contiguous square feet.

The building has first in class ameni-ties such as on-site property manage-ment and security personnel and 24/7 monitored card key. Located in the Union Plaza area, the build-ing has immediate access to the border freeway, I-10 and Sun Metro Transfer Station. The Union Plaza district, one of El Paso’s most excit-ing entertainment districts, offers nu-merous restaurant and entertainment venues.

Sotoa was originally drawn to the building as a tenant of the data center.

40 l C&B

Tired of doing paperwork, pay-ing bills, or organizing a project on your bed? Not to mention the

fact that you have to pick up the spillo-ver everyday and start again the next time.Under one roof, our homes take on many functions, such as being a nurs-ery, a restaurant, a clinic, and an of-fice. In theory, a bedroom becomes a nursery, the kitchen is the restaurant, and the medicine cabinet takes care of health issues and if you are lucky, you have a home office. Unfortunately, when square footage is at a premium many homes have no allowance for a designated office.Therefore, I am offering a few solu-tions. Look under a staircase and see if there is room for a nitch. If there is, a cutaway can be implemented to fit a small desk perfectly. Not only will it provide privacy, it also helps to dec-orate the area and make it a hidden treasure. Another idea is to remove a nightstand from a bedside and re-place it with a small writing table. You can still have nightstand accessories such as a lamp, a clock, and a phone placed on the new table. Plus now you can pay bills, use the laptop, and work on projects in the privacy of your bed-room.

EffICIENT hOME

fROM small

>>

My favorite solution is to convert a closet into a workstation. I

know that to use a closet for a different function is almost a sin; but I assure you that the new use of the space will be appreciated.

Let’s use a little construc-tive imagination to convert THAT CLOSET into a pri-vate organized nook. Here’s the formula: Start form the floor up, thirty inches would be perfect to install shelves, with enough space for books and baskets. Assum-ing the closet already has lighting, it should be easy to install electrical outlets by a professional. A portable file cabinet can be rolled under the work surface still allow-ing space for a small chair

or stool. If possible keeping the closet door provides dis-crete privacy for unfinished projects and household in-formation. This project can be as simple or as intricate as the budget allows. With the exception of getting a professional electrician, it could be a weekend project.

A clever way to re-arrange areas in your home without building an addition is to look for unused areas. Also the workstation in the closet is the completely reversible for resale purposes. Should one of the bedrooms in the home become available due to the empty nest syn-drome, it can be converted to a nice, spacious study. A sleep sofa can be added to accommodate guest and re-turning children.

Remember, the benefit of a workstation in your home is to simplify your life and provide an organized space for a floor plan that doesn’t allow for a study.Martha Medrano, I.D.S.

EL PASO TEXAS