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™CONSTRUCTIONCONSTRUCTIONSan Antonio

Revitalizing Broadway

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Business expansion Companies join together

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www.constructionnews.net (210) 308-5800 PO Box 791290 San Antonio TX 78279 Vol. 15 No. 6 JUNE 2012

There are a handful of buildings in San Antonio that are certain to stir fond memories for many in the

community. One of those special build-ings is the ButterKrust Bakery Building located at 2201 Broadway. According to Tom Green, Kopplow Construction Inc., “Anyone who grew up in San Antonio and was in elementary school in the 1970s and 1980s took a field trip every year to this building. Students were given a pencil, ruler and a big piece of buttered bread.” Now Green along with Project Man-ager Robert Stevens and Superinten-dent Troy Cresswell had the pleasure of remodeling the memorable building for owner, Baker Offices LTD, and transform-ing it into Class A office space named: The Bakery Building on Broadway. Architects for the 15-month renova-tion project included Principal Mac Chesney and Project Architect Daniel

Long, Chesney Morales & Associates, Inc. who planned the building and site design. RVK Architects designed tenant improvements. The project scope included demoli-tion, remodel and additions to the But-terKrust Bakery building. Improvements involved salvage of the old bakery hall and original two-story building of ap-proximately 44,000sf. Additionally it in-cluded new construction of a two-story building on the north end of the site and a three-story building on the southeast end of site. The total area upon comple-tion is approximately 100,000sf. Addi-tionally, the old west structure was sal-vaged for use as a partially covered park-ing area. The project included exterior materi-als of concrete tilt-wall, masonry, EIFS and composite metal paneling. Interior fin-ishes included glass, stone, wood, stain-

The Bakery Building on Broadway

San Antonio-based firm Raba Kist-ner Consultants has chosen New Braunfels as the site for its newest

expansion of their offices. In conjunction with New Braunfels Chamber of Com-merce, the firm hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new facility May 9. “This is our eleventh office for the company, and shows our ongoing com-mitment to the region,” states Paul Lampe, senior vice president. “Raba Kist-ner has been an active part of these com-munities and doing business in the areas just north of San Antonio proper for over 40 years, but recently decided to open an office in New Braunfels which will in-crease our ability to meet the needs of our clients. Our relationship with this area

has been very good for the company and our presence here will be good for our clients.” Heading up the new office is Ian Per-ez, PE. “Ian has a great community spirit and will be an effective leader of this of-fice,” adds Lampe. “We are also happy that the opening of this office means that he now has the opportunity to hire staff from the community as we grow.” Nancy Parker, marketing director, notes the ribbon-cutting event drew nearly 70 people from the community to the new facility. “The New Braunfels busi-ness community gave us a warm wel-come. We had a great time.”

Raba Kistner employees and New Braunfels business leaderscelebrate Raba’s new office location.

Two San Antonio-based construc-tion companies joined forces through an acquisition completed

in April. Browning Construction LLC was purchased by Koontz McCombs Con-struction Ltd. and will operate as a whol-ly owned subsidiary according to Presi-dent and CEO Bart Koontz, Koontz Mc-Combs. “One of the big attributes of the ac-quisition is Browning has depth of exper-tise and experience in areas that we didn’t have,” notes Koontz. “By having them on our team, it certainly broadens our capabilities.” Browning President James Brown-ing says, “This is very exciting for me. The Koontz McCombs organization is a won-

derful organization, and I’m very excited to associate our company with this orga-nization.” The purchase included acquisition of Browning’s construction field offices and yard on Basse Road. Construction opera-tions and personnel of both companies will be consolidated at that location. The executive offices, accounting and devel-opment will remain at the Koontz Mc-Combs headquarters location on Mulber-ry Avenue according to Bart Koontz. The combined operations will have approxi-mately 70 employees.

L-R: Bart Koontz and James Browning

San Antonio Construction News • Jun 2012

440 Pinn RoadSan Antonio, TX 78227

210-675-4990

“BALANCED SITE MEANSBALANCED BUDGET”OLMOS CAN DO IT

Sitework contractor of choicewww.olmosequipment.com

Three full decades – that’s how long it’s been since Bob Foster opened the doors to All-Tex Supply Inc. in

Austin in 1982. Fast-forward to today, and the com-pany is substantially larger, having ex-panded to two more major markets in Texas as well as out of state. Today, the chain that carries a wide selection of prod-ucts, including commercial sealants, build-ing products, power tools, glazing prod-ucts, chemicals, concrete, wallcoating, wa-terproofing and water repellants, to name a few, and is based in Dallas with locations in Austin, San Antonio and Oklahoma City. Royce Farris and Don Tice, who joined in 1990, are now the principals, hav-ing purchased All-Tex from Foster in 2002. “We went to work for him when he opened the store in Dallas,” said Farris. “At that time, he only had the store in Austin. After that, he expanded to San Antonio and Oklahoma City.” With a changing of the guard at the principal position also came a switch for the location’s headquarters, which moved to Dallas from Austin.

A product of hard work

Farris and Tice, who have been on-and-off co-workers in Dallas for the past 25 years, have seen a lot of growth in the company since joining in 1990, Farris said. “Business is really good,” Farris noted. “The company has grown substantially. At one point, we had only seven employees, and now, we’re up to about 25.” To celebrate the company’s 30th an-niversary, Tice and Farris hosted an open house May 17 at the All-Tex headquarters in Dallas. The mixer, which 400 people attended, included food, drinks, door prizes and giveaways. Farris said it was no mystery how All-Tex had continued to grow and thrive. “We’ve got good products, and a good group of employees,” he noted. “We’re honorable men.” Farris said he enjoys being in the great outdoors when he’s not hard at work. “I am an avid hunter – It doesn’t mat-ter to me what I hunt,” he said. “ I’m plan-ning to go to Canada to go bear hunting later this month. I’m also going mule deer hunting in Mexico with a customer. I hunt birds and white-tail, too.” –ms

Bob Foster, founder of All-Tex Supply, was honored at a recent 30th anniversary celebration at the company’s headquarters in Dallas. Foster founded All-Tex in Austin in 1982. Foster is

flanked by co-owners Royce Farris, left, and Don Tice.


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Virtual Builders Exchange (VBX) de-cided it was time to celebrate the hard work of its employees with a

“Hats Off to VBX” event. “We do these kinds of things periodi-cally to bring a little levity to a very in-tense job,” says Brenda Romano, COO. “We have broken three records in the past 18 months and VBX staff is now han-dling close to 1,000 actively bidding jobs on any given day. That’s a large volume of information that must be carefully managed and absolutely must be accu-rate. It’s nice to take a minute once in awhile to lighten things up a bit and en-joy each other’s company.” VBX’s North (Dallas), East (Houston) and South/Central (San Antonio) regions competed against each other by con-structing ornate hats for the occasion. The North Team won the competition. “Each member of the winning team received a crystal VBX logo to display on their desk,” adds Romano. Virtual Builders Exchange offers online information about construction projects in the bidding process and use of plan room facilities. –dn

Hats off to employees

Mary Dixon, Bid Facilitation Coordinator, shows off the Houston team hat, which

includes a Texans pennant

Jonnetta Redmond, North Texas Team, models the winning hat.

Lorri Chambers, in San Antonio, shows off the South/Central team hat.


CONSTRUCTION NEWSSan Antonio

The San Antonio Construction News (ISSN 1547-7630) is published monthly by Construction News LTD., dba San Antonio Construction News, and distributed by mail to construction-related companies of record in Bexar and 7 surrounding counties. All submissions should be mailed to our editorial offices. We reserve the right to edit any materials submitted. No fees for materials, copy or photographs submitted will be due unless agreed upon in advance in writing. Submissions will be published at our discretion on a space available basis. Construction News, Ltd. , dba San Antonio Construction News, will not be liable for errors in copy or in advertisements beyond the actual cost of space occupied by the error. Publisher reserves the right to reject any advertisement at any time.

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A mainstay in the industry is Four B Paving’s annual crawfish boil. This event marks the 15th year the

company celebrates its customer rela-tionships, business associates, friends and family. Brandy and Casey Cordell, Four B Paving, hosted the event at the compa-ny’s office location in Spring Branch, May 5. The nearly 100 guests in attendance enjoyed a traditional menu of crawfish, sausage, corn and potatoes as well as an evening of music. Lots of kids attended the event and were treated to a castle bounce and crawfish piñata bash. One special treat of the evening in-cluded a first birthday celebration for Mudbug. The colt was born on the eve of last year’s crawfish boil event. –dn

Every time is a great time

Four B Paving guests enjoy the feast

Brandy Baker Cordell’s son, Baker Moltz, introduces Mudbug to his birthday carrot cake

L-R: Steph Leggett and Brandy Baker Cordell

Celebrating the value of customers

Quality Fence and Welding held its 8th annual customer appreciation party at the office on Wetmore,

May 16. This year’s event was a luau-themed party. Guests were provided col-orful leis and the facility was transformed with a variety of Hawaiian decorations.

Along with fitting food and drink, the approximately 60 guests in attendance won a chance at a variety of door prizes and enjoyed trying their skills at a washer toss. For the more adventuresome souls, a hula-hoop competition tested contes-tants’ twirling hip action. –dn

L-R: West Winter, McNelis & Associates; Graig Noto, Quality Fence & Welding;Karen and Tony Ridout, RidoutBarrett

What would a party be without hula-hoop fun?


Metal StudsDrywall

AcousticalInsulationWALLS

A C R O S S

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

9018 Tesoro Suite 101San Antonio, Texas 78217

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

O’Connell Robertson, a full service architecture, engineering and in-terior design firm based in Austin,

has acquired the Mitchell Design Con-sultancy (MDC) in San Antonio. Mary Ann A. Mitchell, AIA, IIDA, MDC principal and founder, joins O’Connell Robertson as part of the acqui-sition. In her new role as principal, Mitchell will serve as O’Connell Robertson’s healthcare and government market lead-er for the South Texas Region. Chris Narendorf, principal and di-rector of O’Connell Robertson’s San An-tonio office, said the acquisition made the firm stronger. “The acquisition of MDC enriches our firm’s ability to provide comprehen-sive planning and design services to edu-cation and healthcare clients in the re-gion, while allowing us to grow our expe-

Branching out

rience in the retail and government sec-tors,” said Narendorf. “I look forward to working with Mary Ann as we share a commitment to innovating and the de-sire to increase and enhance our client relationships, further integrating O’Connell Robertson into the fabric of the San Antonio community.” Mitchell’s 25-year career as an archi-tect and interior designer in San Antonio has included facility design and project management for Methodist Healthcare System, Baptist Hospital, UT Health Sci-ence Center, and Alamo Colleges. She most recently provided program man-agement and design review services for the new 1 million-sf Fort Hood replace-ment hospital in Killeen. She also spent 12 years at H-E-B Corporation during which time she served as the Director of Design – Architecture and Format Devel-opment. –ms

Mary Ann A. Mitchell, MDC principal and founder, has joined O’Connell Robertson as part of its acquisition of her firm. L-R: Benjamin Rosas, Associate AIA; Jason Puchot, AIA, EDAC, LEED

AP BD+C; Kim Pham, EIT; Mary Ann A. Mitchell, AIA, IIDA, and Jorge Olivares, PE.

For the second year, Big City Access treated its San Antonio area customers to a Cajun culinary feast and open house at their facility in Universal City. The Apr. 26 affair included a traditional meal of spicy crawfish, corn, potatoes and sausage.

Barbara Roberts, president, hosted the event along with James Evanicky, sales manager, and numerous company employees. Customers and guests were treated to live music and an abundance of door prizes. –dn

Tradition in the making

Barbara Roberts and James Evanicky give away lots of door prizesbetween sets by musicians L-R: Colton and Kevin Black.

Rick and Christine Herrera,American Roofing

Laura and Sid Whitehead, KBR Inc.

The Construction Financial Manage-ment Association (CFMA) held its 16th Annual Cindy P. Dennis Scholarship

presentation and 2012-2013 officer installa-tion at the Old San Francisco Steak House, May 17. San Antonio businessman and phi-lanthropist Gordon Hartman was the guest speaker for the evening event. –dn

Board OfficersPresident Tommy Wallace, SpawGlass Contractors Inc.; 1st Vice President Vivi-an Garza-Steele, Zachry Construction Corporation, 2nd Vice President Sidney Holling, Clark Construction; Secretary Jody Hillenbrand, TravisWolff; Treasur-

Board members installed

er Kim Roach, Armstrong, Vaughan & Associates Board of Directors: General Members Rita Jordan, JSR Inc.; James Deaven, CCC Group Inc.; Jill Mayhew, Bartlett Cocke General Contractors; Dan Perry, Alpha Building Corporation Board of Directors: Associate MembersBill Dawley, SureTec Insurance Compa-ny; Leslie Guajardo, Padgett Strate-mann & Co.; Mark Outlaw, PlainsCapi-tal Bank; Kevin Smith, Alliance Solu-tions Group; Bill Gellhausen, Wortham Insurance & Risk

L-R: Kevin Smith, Sidney Holing, James Deaven, Daniel Perry, Rita Jordan, Bill Dawley, Leslie Guajardo, Vivian Garza-Steele, Kim Roach, Mark Outlaw; Not pictured: Tommy Wallace, Jody

Hillenbrand, Jill Mayhew, Bill Gellhausen


Bill GoodgePRS Solutions Inc.

Bill Goodge is a jack-of-all-trades. A general contractor turned full-time project manager, he’s led a colorful

life including working as a sports pho-tographer for his hometown newspaper, a portrait photographer and a police crime scene photographer. He also earned a degree in cosmetology and played in a heavy metal band or two. Twelve years ago Goodge began a subcontracting business refinishing bathtubs. From there he has expanded his company into other areas of general construction and construction manage-ment. He even takes a few architectural photos and corporate portraits when he has time. He prefers to approach business in a personal manner stating, “If I could do business on a handshake, I would do it. I want to keep business personal, know the clients well and keep it simple.”

How did you start your company? In 2000, I started my business as a bathtub refinisher doing residential and commercial properties. I was fortunate to get into the hotel industry, which led me into general contracting for hotel renova-tions. The Procaccianti Group out of Crans-ton, RI gave me my first hotel renovation project in 2004. Typically, project sched-uling was the root cause of any renova-tion problem, including preplanning and materials procurement. I had the right connections, and consequently, I was very successful on that project. After that project my business just took off. Hotel renovation is hard work. Nor-mally, I had projects that kept me travel-

ing 200 days out of the year. When you have a family, traveling that much is diffi-cult. In 2006, I had an opportunity to un-dertake a new venue with a friend of mine. We built two shopping malls in Georgia and did the build-outs within the mall as well. In 2008, Georgia was hit hard by the recession. There was little new construc-tion in the state, and I decided to go back into hotel renovation. I did that for sever-al years and then returned to San Anto-nio in 2010.

What type of work have you done since returning to San Antonio? The last two years I have been doing project management jobs for Swinerton Builders and other area general contrac-tors. I also work for several clients and general contractors around the country on hotel renovation projects. Swinerton normally hires me for spe-cial projects. A recent project was a day-care center for a local bank. We had to do the project at night between 6:30pm and 5am. We didn’t work while children were in the building. It was a unique project. I also do tenant improvement for Class A office space. It’s easier for me to manage the project and be one-on-one with my client.

What makes your business unique? What has kept me successful is the preplanning I do on a project. In the pre-planning stages, I like to be involved with the architect and discuss any issues that may arise. When we partner it’s easier for both of us and beneficial to the project.

One of my biggest talents in con-struction and construction project man-agement is the ability to create and keep a fast-paced schedule. As with the childcare center, it was a 30-day schedule, but I brought it down to 18 days, and we actually finished it in 11 days. I like to do that type of work. Preplanning, procurement and scheduling are my forte. Given the prop-er amount of time, I can do some amaz-ing things. Besides the daycare center, I have two other projects that were not the largest jobs, but were impressive in getting the work done in a very short amount of time. One was a 50-room resort hotel in Mammoth Mountain, CA. The job had to be completed between mountain bike and ski seasons, which was only two weeks. We gutted everything and built it back within 12 days. Everything was on-site and ready at the beginning. That’s a good project. The other project was a complete renovation of four restrooms for a distrib-uting warehouse. The project had to be completed in one weekend between 5pm Friday and 8am Monday. The restrooms had 18 stalls, and ev-erything had to be gutted and replaced with new toilets, partitions, ceramic tile flooring, sheetrock, paint and new ceiling tile and grid. The schedule was in two-hour increments, and it was finished on time. That is crazy. Most companies do a daily schedule. My hotel renovation schedules are in four-hour increments. For me it works to micromanage the schedule. Once I have good subcontractors who are willing to work with the schedule, it flows like clockwork. It’s a beautiful thing. Those are the smallest projects I’ve had, but to me being able to orchestrate something like that is impressive.

Where did you grow up? I’m originally from Sacramento, CA. I went to school at Woodland High School in Woodland, CA and attended college at American River College in Sacramento.

When did you move to Texas? I’ve been in Texas since 1989. I origi-nally moved to Corpus Christi and later to San Antonio.

What did you do in Corpus Christi? I’m a musician, and I’ve played in bands all my life. I was in a band in Corpus Christi called Maxim. We played four nights a week. I made more money play-ing in the band than I did in my day job.

What type of music do you play? I’ve played mostly heavy metal. Now I’ve changed from heavy metal to acous-tic.

Tell me about your current band. We started a band this year called Eclipse. The lead singer is Carlos Trevino. Rick Mendez and I play guitar. I’m actually a bass player, but I picked up guitar be-cause we play acoustic music. I met Carlos while we were in Corpus. We hit it off and created a band after I played in Maxim. Carlos also had a very popular band in the 1980s in San Antonio called Presence. His vocal is so beautiful and clean. He sounds a lot like Steve Perry from Journey. Rick and I also played together in the Maxim band. He was a vocalist and played guitar. He is big into Stevie Ray Vaughan and Muddy Waters. We are three diverse musicians. I come from the heavy metal background, Carlos comes from jazz and Rick comes from a blues background. When we bring it all together, it sounds amazing. We take songs from Top 40 rock-n-roll, smooth jazz, Black Sabbath, and Ju-das Priest and tear it down to a raw for-mat and then build it back up for our own style. We’ve taken all these musical genres and made them into something so unusual that there aren’t many bands doing what we are doing, especially with the production that we have. It sounds really good. The American Subcontractors Asso-ciation SubFestival and BBQ Cook-off event on May 4 was our debut show.

Besides playing in the band, what do you like to do for fun? I like the outdoors and enjoy going camping, hiking and mountain biking. I’ve been biking for seven years and it is one of my favorite pastimes. It keeps me in shape and young. A couple of my favorite places to ride in Texas are Smithville and Palo Duro Canyon. Locally, I enjoy the Madrone Trail at Canyon Lake.

Tell me about your family? I have a four-year-old son, Nathan. He’s following in his dad’s footsteps. He loves to mountain bike. He’s been riding without training wheels since he was three and rides pretty well now. We go to the Birds of Prey trail at Leon Creek. It’s really smooth, and it’s his favorite place to ride. He goes to rehearsals with me, too. He gets on the microphone with Carlos and loves to sing. –dn

Bill Goodge

Bill playing in the Eclipse band Mountain bike buddies Nathan and Bill


Larry Petron, Store ManagerAlamo Iron Works/ IndustrialDistribution Group Company

Industry FOLKS

Larry Petron began his career in the construction industry in 1977 when

he went to work for a lumber yard in Kerrville. Several years later, he accept-ed a position with the company to run a lumber yard in Ozona, TX. In 1985, Petron moved from Ozona to San Antonio where he went to work for Alamo Iron Works (AIW). While hold-ing various positions over the last 20 years, today Petron is the store manag-er of the supply center, AIW’s retail store serving local and oil field customers. He says what he likes most about the store manager position is, “I get to meet a lot of nice people. I enjoy talking with people and helping them get what they need to get their job done. I get a great degree of satisfaction from that.” When he isn’t working, Petron plays drums and rhythm guitar in a country western band and sings both lead and harmony. Playing music since he was 14 years old, he says, “I started out playing rock-n-roll. I converted to country in 1971 or 1972 because that was where the mon-ey was at the time.” He recalls playing five nights a week in a club in Dallas for almost ten years while working full-time as a hard-ware department manager for Mont-gomery Ward in Dallas. “I would get off work about 5:30pm from Montgomery Ward, go home and eat dinner. The band would usually start playing at 8pm and play to mid-night. I’d get up and do it all over again the next day.” While Petron has played in numer-ous bands, his current band is the

Rhythm Mavericks, which plays country and western and old time rock-n-roll. “It’s a five piece band. Our band has fiddle, steel guitar, lead guitar, and bass and drums players. We also have a fe-male singer. Most of us have been to-gether five years and a couple members have been with the band for a year. It’s just a lot fun.” Petron says one of his favorite mu-sicians is Willie Nelson and enjoys play-ing his music. In addition to working as AIW/IDG store manager and playing in the band, Petron says he has another interest as well. “I have a couple of Corvettes, and I am a member of the corvette club of the Texas Corvette Association (TCA) in San Antonio.” In April he participated in TCA’s 20th annual open car show in Boerne. He says they had from 350 to 400 cars participating in the show. Petron took his 2004 Le Mans Blue Commemorative Edition Coupe to the show, and left his partially restored white, 1978 Corvette L82 at home. Petron has been married to his bride, Paulette, for 42 years. During the early years when Petron was playing in the band, he says, “My wife went faith-fully when I was playing five nights a week.” Now he says she supports his car interests. “My wife enjoys the fast cars and the hot rods.” –dn

Perfect weather made the Associated General Contractors (AGC) Fun Shoot at the National Shooting Com-

plex a memorable experience. The annual event held May 18 drew 137 sharp shoot-ers and soon-to-be sharp shooters. –dn

Winners include:Best Overall Score Bryan Boehme, Joeris General Contrac-tors Ltd. (96) Class A1st: Tom Quintero, IBTX Risk Services (96) 2nd: Ernest Taylor, Vulcan Construction Materials (96)3rd: Scott Striegler, Campbell Painting, Inc. (95)

Skeet: Always in season

L-R: Kelly Wilson, AGC; Jason Mahurin, Allegiance Floors; Bryan Boehme, Joeris General Conractors, Ltd.; and Gilbert Ellis, Turner Construction Company

Class B 1st: James Anderson, Bartlett Cocke General Contractors (80)2nd: James Polonis, RVK Architects (80)3rd: Craig Noto, Quality Fence & Weld-ing (80)Class C 1st: Jim Welch, Pape-Dawson Engineers (70)2nd: Cody Marcom, Campbell Painting, Inc. (70)3rd: Bobby Gumpp, Ranch Hand Truck Accessories (70)Women’s Class 1st: Babet Motes, Alamo Crane (67)

Ask me anythingConstruction News ON LOCATION

L-R: Brian Dirks, Jeff Venegoni, Chuck Bell, David Long and Benny Medrano are some of the friendly folks at Mueller Inc. Located in New Braunfels, the

company provides steel buildings and metal roofing panels. –dn


WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE JUNK FOOD?

Specializing in Industrial Scrap Metal& Container Service

We buy Aluminum, Brass, Copper, Iron, Stainless Steel,Steel, Brass & Radiators

2300 Frio City Rd. 927-2727 www.monterreyiron.com

The Hispanic Contractors Association de San Antonio (HCA) hosted its 2012 OSHA Safety Fair at its office in

Live Oak, May 18-19. The content of the free event covered OSHA’s 10-hour certi-fication class, designed to train those in the construction field on the rules, regu-lations and procedures necessary to help maintain a safe work environment. The 250 students in attendance were offered classes in both English and Spanish. HCA Executive Director Tomas Larralde states, “Co-chairs of the event Kevin Jones, Rivercity Waste, and Hen-ry Vera, Dumas Hardware, did an out-standing job of putting the event togeth-er. Thanks to them and the generosity of our board, sponsors, volunteers, general contractors and the Alamo Community College District, we were able to offer this program for free to people in the con-struction industry.” Larralde acknowledges the classes were taught by ten OSHA certified and experienced instructors from the local community. Additionally, Kick Start CPR, 3M, AEHS Inc., and Sunstate Equipment Co. provided hands-on safety demon-strations. –dn

Learning to stay safe

Instructors L-R: Rafael Llera, Shorm Consulting; Phil Bass, Hensel Phelps; Bonnie Rivera, Rivera Vega Group; Dave Wells, ECC; Ray Garcia, Engineering Safety Consultants;

Paul Mayfield, SpawGlass; David Cannon, Turner; Jared Seago, Turner; Keith Ferguson,

JSR; Brent Montgomery, JSR; and Tomas Larralde, HCA

The San Antonio Chapter of National Association of Women in Construc-tion (NAWIC) hosted its annual golf

tournament at the Canyon Springs Golf Club, May 11. –dn This year’s winners include:1st Place EDP Concrete: Chris Boyd, Todd Fields, Damon Smith, Yvonne Patton1st Women’s TeamEva Ramirez, RVK Architects; Anita

Every day is a good day for golf

First place team

Kegley-Deaton, Kegley Inc., Maggie Seay, Cude Engineers; Melodye Tomsu, Cleary Zimmermann EngineersClosest to the PinAndy Drash, Drash Contracting Com-pany and Melodye Tomsu, Cleary Zim-mermann EngineersLongest DriveClint Wurzbach, Freund Enterprises Inc. and Eva Ramirez, RVK Architects

That’s an easy one! My favorite junk food item is a red velvet cupcake from Kate’s Frosting. Delicious!!

Abby Deras, Cude Engineers

My favorite junk food is the Pepper Steak Pizza from Rome’s pizza at I-10 and De Zavala.

Lloyd Christenson,Tradesmen International

Nachos of course – with jalapenos, cheese, meat, bean and sour cream. Hmmmm.

Candy Barilla, Quality Fence & Welding

My favorite is the blueberry frozen yogurt with sprinkled tapioca balls and coconut shaving at Orange Leaf. Awesome!

RC Contreras,Trico Lift

I like pork rinds. I like the hot ones. Low in calories and fat, but you had better have some breath mints with you before you visit a customer. Wow!

Marvin Bragewitz,Texas Lehigh Cement Company

Nothing beats a box of Junior Mints.Shelly Sheffield,

Quality Fence & Welding

My favorite is bone-in Buffalo hot wings.

David Rangel,Spectra Contract Flooring

I like pepperoni and mushroom pizza. My most favorite food is my own bar-beque cooking. Nothing is better than home cooked barbeque.

Wayne Hanson,Hanson’s Installations, Inc.

This may sound weird, but hot Chee-tos with nacho cheese is my favorite. Sometimes I add sour pickles to even make it better.

Julian Zamora,Quality Fence & Welding

One word…popcorn! I can eat an en-tire bucket of popcorn on my own when I go to the movies!

Hillary Cadra, Spawglass


Neither heat nor humidity dampened the fun at the American Subcontractors Association (ASA) annu-al BBQ Cook-Off and SubFestival at Raymond Rus-

sell Park, May 4. Twenty-four teams participated in the barbeque competition and served over 350 guests dur-ing the late afternoon and evening event. The festivities included a silent and live auction as well as lots of door and raffle prizes. Family fun included face painting, a photo booth and music by the Eclipse band. –dn/ms

Great grilling

Best Brisket1st: Allen & Allen Company2nd: M & M Metals, Inc.3rd: Bartlett Cocke General ContractorsBest Ribs1st: Federal Management Solutions 2nd: Seither and Cherry/MC Mobile Homes3rd: Joeris General Contractors

Best Chicken1st: Preferred Landscape & Lighting2nd: Catamount Constructors 3rd: Quality Fence & WeldingBest Mystery Meat1st: Alterman Inc.2nd: Bartlett Cocke General Contractors3rd: M & M Metals Inc. Best CampM & M Metals Inc.

Best Chicken: Preferred Landscape & Lighting

Best Mystery Meat: Alterman Inc.

Best Brisket: Allen & Allen Company

MK Marlow Company LLC

Dulaney Exterior Solutions

Best Ribs: Federal Management Solutions

Best Camp: M & M Metals Inc.

Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing


Smart-money use ofnon-business timeKirk Quaschnick, PresidentMogul Wealth Strategies, LLCMcKinney, TX

Success in the construction industry often depends on the ability to manage our time well. Whether

scheduling meetings, doing the books, training new people or introducing a new product or service, suc-cessful business owners know that every day is a calcu-lated race against the clock.

But what about non-business time? That has a dollar value, too. How you use—or misuse—your free time is a de-termining factor in the quality of life you and your family enjoy. That’s why some people can work 70 or 80 hours a week, yet still manage to participate in a highly rewarding home life. Meanwhile, others see leisure time as an opportunity to channel surf the television and then fall asleep on the couch. Or they devote their down time to household chores and yard maintenance, even though they’d rather be out playing golf.

We Spend Time…Just Like We Spend Money

We can waste time…just like we can waste money. You may want to ask your-self, “how can you get the best value from your non-working time?” Evaluate how to best use time in light of the fol-lowing:

The pleasure factor This can override all other consider-ations. If you’re a true-blue do-it-your-selfer who enjoys planting shrubs or building that new kennel for the dog, go ahead. If not, you might be better off hir-ing someone to do the work for you…and either putting in a few extra hours in the business or spending more time with your family.

The dollar-value-of-your-timefactor

This is a hard-cash tangible based on how much your time is worth. If your work time is worth $120 an hour, your lei-sure time is worth the same. So, if you don’t really enjoy the task of cutting the lawn, for instance, hire the neighbor kid to do it for $25…and go to a ball game or take the dog for a walk in the park.

The convenience factor In spite of the cost, it is sometimes better to hand over the receipt shoe box to a CPA rather than do your own taxes; to call the plumber rather than fix that leaky faucet yourself; or to tote home carry-out rather than spend an hour mak-ing dinner.

The guilt factor This is perhaps the most powerful reason we end up doing things we’d re-ally rather not do.

Beyond Dollars We are often so caught up in what we do that it can consume us. However, if we don’t learn how to break away, we risk never fully enjoying the fruits of our la-bors. Here are a few suggestions:

• Learn how to relax. Many business owners don’t feel comfortable out of “business mode.” So, we clutch the brief-case or do work at home. Try learning to be more than just a businessperson. Not only will it be fun, but will make you fresher and more focused at work.

• Plan your leisure activities, just as you do your business time. Map out your day off to include a little yard work, watching your daughter’s softball game, and an hour or two of being a couch po-tato. Or take a whole day off and give it to your son, daughter, spouse or friend to do with as they please.

• Don’t bring work home or on vaca-tions. Leave the briefcase at the office or in the car. Also, encourage customers not to contact you at home. If you force your-self to get all your work done before you come home, you’ll get more done on business time…sort of like getting ice cream if you finish your veggies!

If you’re like most business owners today, you work hard putting in long hours each day doing what you do best. One of the rewards should be a comfort-able lifestyle. Make sure you take the time to enjoy it.

Kirk Quaschnick can be reached at(214) 420-7152

Are you ready for somebonding?Tony Ridout, Manging ShareholderRidout Barrett & Co., P.C.San Antonio, TX

With the anticipation of the economy improving (hopefully soon) the demand for your construc-

tion company to obtain bid and payment/performance bonds will be high. Most contractors have seen their financial condition weaken over the past three years, so most project owners are going to require bonds and qualifica-tions of these contractors. An easy way for a project owner to qualify its contractors is to ask for a surety bond. Owners are not only asking for bonds from their general contractors, they also want their general contractors to qualify their subcontractors on the job as well.

Are You Ready? The first step is to pull together the financial information required by your bond agent. This in-cludes:

1. At least 2 years income tax returns for your business.

2. At least 2 years personal tax returns of the owners of your business.

3. At least 3 years business financial statements with the most current being no more than 90 days old on date of sub-mission of application. It is important these financials be prepared using GAAP.

4. Aging of your Company’s accounts receivables and payables.

5. Certificate of Insurance to prove you have proper coverage.

6. Copy of bond requirement from the request for proposal or invitation to bid.

7. Resumes of owners and key person-nel.

Additional documents your bond agent will ask you to provide are:

1. A contractor questionnaire which describes your company.

2. A status of contracts which your company has under contract.

3. A performance and payment bond request form for which you are seeking a bond.

4. A job cost breakdown to include the amount of materials and labor for the re-quested bond.

5. Personal financial statements of the owners of your company.

The Sureties will also request refer-ences from your bankers, creditors and customers as well.

If your company does not meet tradi-tional financial requirements for bond approval, ask your bond agent about surety companies who offer programs for contractors considered higher risk.

Examples of these programs include:

Collateral – Offering collateral equiv-alent to 10 to 20% of the contract size.

Funds Control – Having a third party manage the cash flow of funds for the bonded contract, and

SBA Guaranty – The SBA charges a fee for the guaranty of completion of the contract.

If your company is currently receiv-ing bonds, then this process is relatively easy and a routine part of your business. If your company has never applied for a bond or has not done so in the past few years, the process may seem overwhelm-ing. Start today by contacting a Certified Public Accountant with construction ac-counting experience and a bond agent. These two professionals, working togeth-er, can make the process much easier.

If you can be bonded, you can make your company more marketable than your competitor who does not make the effort.

Anthony (Tony) S. Ridout, Managing Share-holder, Ridout, Barrett & Co. P. C., President of South Texas Surety Association, Board Member of American Subcontractors Asso-ciation, San Antonio. RidoutBarrett has served the Construction industry for over 25 years


Preventing fallsJoann NatarajanCompliance Assistance SpecialistOSHAAustin, TX

FALLS ARE THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN CONSTRUCTION. In 2010, there were 264 fall fatalities (255 falls to lower level) out of 774 total fatalities in construction. These deaths are pre-ventable

PLAN ahead to get the job done safely When working from heights, such as lad-ders, scaffolds, and roofs, employers must plan projects to ensure that the job is done safely. Begin by deciding how the job will be done, what tasks will be in-volved, and what safety equipment may be needed to complete each task.

When estimating the cost of a job, em-ployers should include safety equipment, and plan to have all the necessary equip-ment and tools available at the construc-tion site. For example, in a roofing job, think about all of the different fall haz-ards, such as holes or skylights and lead-ing edges, then plan and select fall pro-tection suitable to that work, such as per-sonal fall arrest systems (PFAS).

PROVIDE the right equipment Workers who are six feet or more above lower levels are at risk for serious injury or death if they should fall. To protect these workers, employers must provide fall protection and the right equipment for the job, including the right kinds of lad-ders, scaffolds, and safety gear.

Different ladders and scaffolds are ap-propriate for different jobs. Always pro-

vide workers with the kind they need to get the job done safely. For roof work, there are many ways to prevent falls. If workers use personal fall arrest systems (PFAS), provide a harness for each worker who needs to tie off to the anchor. Make sure the PFAS fits, and regularly inspect all fall protection equipment to ensure it’s still in good condition and safe to use.

TRAIN everyone to use the equipment safelyFalls can be prevented when workers un-derstand proper set-up and safe use of equipment, so they need training on the specific equipment they will use to com-plete the job. Employers must train work-ers in hazard recognition and in the care and safe use ladders, scaffolds, fall pro-tection systems, and other equipment they’ll be using on the job.

OSHA has provided training materials that employers can use during toolbox talks to train workers on safe practices to avoid falls in construction. Falls from lad-ders, scaffolds and roofs can be prevent-ed and lives can be saved through three simple steps: Plan, Provide and Train.

These materials can be accessed at:http://www.osha.gov/stopfalls/index.html

[email protected] x232

No scope is left unchanged:A contractor’s basic guideto change ordersTracy R. Galimore, AssociateAndrews Myers, P.C.Houston, TX

Every contractor knows that few jobs are completed from start to finish without changes in scope, price or

time. Despite good faith intentions, no area of construc-tion contracting is riper for dispute (or disputed more fre-

quently) than change orders and extra work. However, understanding your contractual change order provisions and diligent project administration will go a long way in avoid-ing the change order pitfall.

A “change order” is a document which indicates the agreement of the owner, con-tractor and architect as to a change in the work, including adjustment in the contract sum and schedule. If the performance of the work deviates from the plans and/or specifications, it will likely be considered a change. It is noteworthy that “extra work” should be distinguished from “additional work.” “Extra” work arises outside and inde-pendent of the contract, or is something not required for performance of the work. “Ad-ditional” work is required in the performance of the contract and without which the work could not be successfully carried out. Determining whether the contractor should be compensated for extra work of-ten depends on the contractor’s compli-ance with change order provisions in the contract. Nearly all construction contracts contain a change order provision stating that the contract may be amended to al-low for additions, deletions and changes to the contract work, time extensions and even changes to the terms of the contract itself. Most construction contracts gener-ally require all changes to the contract be in writing, and contractors should expect a court or arbitrator to enforce a provision which requires all change orders to be in writing. However, bear in mind that disputes frequently arise with respect to change or-ders and extra work not because of the complexity of the change order clause but rather, the nature of the typical construc-tion project. We are all aware of the com-mon practice of contractors proceeding with extra work upon oral authorization, and then expecting a written change order sometime down the line or at the comple-tion of the job. This practice is problematic in that Texas courts have consistently held that the parties should only rely upon the written terms of their negotiated contracts rather than industry custom and trade practices. The good news is that if you encoun-ter a change order dispute resulting from failure to obtain a written change order be-fore proceeding with the work, all hope of recovery for that extra work is not lost. Like most general rules, there are exceptions to the rule that “it must be in writing,” that turn on the specific facts of the individual case. A good example is the general con-tractor that repeatedly orders extra work (orally) in violation of its own contract terms. The argument can be made that the general contractor breached its own agreement and therefore waived the con-tract provision requiring changes to be in

writing. Unfortunately, successfully ma-neuvering around the general rule usually takes up valuable time and considerable expense, most of which occurs post job completion and while significant monies are outstanding. . The better practice is to thoroughly review and understand your contract terms prior to the occurrence of a change order, and make every effort to fol-low that contract to the letter of the change order clause. Situations may also arise where the general contractor or owner cannot or will not sign a written change order request and the down-stream contractor feels pres-sured to proceed with the work regardless. Some contracts contemplate this scenario and contain a clause which gives the own-er, architect or engineer the right to direct the contractor to proceed with disputed work without an agreement as to time and costs for the change. The AIA A201 (Article 7) addresses change orders and “construc-tion change directives” such as this. In this instance, it is in your best interest to pro-ceed with the work following the directive, but provide written notice to the owner that you are working under protest, thus reserving your right to make a future claim for payment for the extra work. If no such contractual provision like AIA A201 exists within your contract, and you are compelled to proceed with the re-quested work then, at a minimum, send a self-serving letter which confirms the oral instructions received when you began the extra work and include the charges for that work within your next draw application. By taking these additional steps, you at least put the general contractor on notice that you expect to be paid for the extra work, and you have created a written record that you were verbally instructed to do that work. Even if you have failed to follow all the procedures outlined in the change or-der clause, the fact that you took the time to document what you were asked to do will assist in convincing a judge or jury of your position if a dispute arises. In summary, a full understanding of your change order clause is critical to avoid-ing pitfalls and reducing your business risks. While in actual practice the change order clause is often not followed to the let-ter of the law by the owner, the general contractor, or the subcontractors, those who choose to do business this way do so at their own substantial risk. Tracy’s practice focuses on construction litigation and alternative dispute resolution, in which she represents general contractors, sub-contractors, suppliers and owners in a variety of construction related disputes.

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Another great day at the branch officeSubmitted to Construction News

Terry and Jason Stewart, Stewart Plumbing, took Jared Koehler, Koehler Company, and Jim Marrin on a fishing trip. The group caught and released several 40-in. plus bull

redfish. Jason reported Koehler caught a new personal best that was 47-in.and weighed 43 lbs. L-R: Jason Stewart, Jim Marrin and Jared Koehler. –dn

Magnificent animalSubmitted to Construction News

Tony Ridout, RidoutBarrett, took down a world class Gemsbok Antelope May 3 outside of Ingram, TX. Clint Tuma was the guide for the hunt at HeadHunters International. –dn


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Fishing/waterconditions improve

by Capt. Steve Schultz

Sponsored by:Majek Boats, Premier Yamaha Boating

Center, Fishing Tackle Unlimited,Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor,Interstate Batteries, Pure Fishing,

Pflueger Reels, All-Star Rods, Mirr-O-Lure and Columbia Sportswear.

For the past several weeks I have seen a definite increase in trout fishing in the

Baffin Bay area. High water levels from recent spring tides and timely rains re-ceived in the last month, are the main reasons for the increase. Winds have been fairly light with the exception of a couple of late fronts coming through the area. These conditions have also helped the brown tide conditions in the Upper Laguna Madre, improving water clarity. Despite some harsh weather and high tides, our bay system remains in great shape for the upcoming summer months.

Since the beginning of May and the ar-rival of croaker bait fish, fishing strategies have changed. Rock structures, reefs,

Shawn Wyatt of Stephenville caught this 31-inch redfish while working the east dropin the Landcut with Steve Schultz Outdoors.

grass beds and potholes are areas which need to be keyed on. It is very important when approaching these areas to use a trolling motor or push pole. Anchoring up on the outside edges of these areas

can be very productive on spawning trout. Setting up on these locations is the key to catching fish. Always approach the intended area with the wind at your back carefully estimating the length of

you anchor rope and the distance of your cast. Once you have drifted over the area, you intend to fish because your an-chor didn’t hold or you misjudged the wind. You might as well find a new area to fish and try that spot later in the day.

During the summer months here in the Coastal Bend, anglers can find some of the best fishing along the entire coast. Our bays are loaded with resident fish and tide runners, which are constantly arriving from the Gulf. With school being out for summer and the weather getting better everyday, that can only mean one thing. Boating and fishing pressure will be one of the most important factors for not being able to find large concentra-tions of fish or stay on those fish once you have a bite going. That is why I empha-size so much that the best fishing is usu-ally during the week instead of on a weekend. Another alternative to getting away from the heat and crowed bays is late evening fishing and night fishing.

Fishing late into the evening and into the night during the full moon can get you out of everyday crowds and into some of the more popular fishing areas without being hassled by novice boat operators and impatient anglers. I have experi-enced all aspects of these people trying to move-in on a set of rocks or a sand pocket you are catching fish from and scare all the fish away. It has reached a point where you have to do some home-work and really think about how you will go about catching fish on any given day.

For more information or to schedule your next bay fishing trip, give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-949-7359 or 361-813-3716 or email him at [email protected]. Good Luck and Good Fishing

TexasStyle

San Antonio Austin Dallas/Fort Worth Houston

www.constructionnews.netpublishing the industry’s news


Ken Milam’s Fishing LineSponsored 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 onLake Buchanan in the Texas Hill Country. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity of getting to know

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I was driving home this evening and saw some old friends. Running all over the road in front of me were a band of

whitetail does. These old girls are my neighbors of sorts, all related to each oth-er, being mothers and daughters and aunts and such. I hadn’t seen much of these does for the last couple months. On the rare occa-sion, I would see one, she would turn and give me a dirty look as if to say I just bet-ter not make her have to jump the fence. This is the time of year when does are so pregnant they just look like they are about to pop. Today was different though. The girls were all slim and sassy and giddy acting. I do believe they have already dropped their fawns and have them hid-den in the brush. That, my friend, is a sight for sore eyes. Think back to last year. It was already so hot and dry and drought ravaged, that everyone figured the mortality rate for the new fawns would be terribly high, and I think it did take a toll on them. This year’s new little whitetail deer have it just about perfect. We have had enough rain at just the right time to provide plenty of food and water for nursing does, and some say there is all the right stuff for horn development in the bucks. If you have done any traveling through the farming areas of Texas lately, you have seen great changes there too. Last year ,anything that was planted was in the process of drying up and blowing away. Now you can see lush fields of green. The thing I like most to see is how many fine corn fields are standing. We need a good corn year so feed corn will not be so expensive we can’t feed our deer herds. Good hay would be a bless-ing to the ranchers too.

Sight for sore eyes

I am cautious about saying the drought is over. Things are looking up all over the state as we start to recover from the effects of the drought. As a fisher-man by trade, of course the state of the lakes and rivers are the most important things to watch. We have seen a little in-crease in lake levels on the Highland Lakes, but we have a long way to go yet. The ground is a good bit wetter now, so we keep hoping for the heavy rains to come and give us some runoff in the wa-tershed. I want to be optimistic, but all it

takes is for it to stop raining, (as it so typi-cally does this time of year), and the slip back into the drought will be all too quick. There are too many people who still can’t use their water wells and too many ailing and dying trees. On the flip side, if the rains pick up as some meteorologists say that it might through the summer and fall, we will be in for continued great fishing and a fan-tastic hunting season. If you haven’t already, come on folks, pray for more rain!

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Pro Division

Three Fish Stringer1st: Ace Scout – David Rowsey, Chad Chil-dress, Brian Childress and Robert Brown2nd: Bear Ready Mix – Travis McKee, John Gill and Leroy Navarro3rd: Polish Pluggers – Tanner Moy, Tres Moy, Brad Lyssy and Blaise Moy

Mr. Big Trout1st: Ace Scout – David Rowsey, Chad Chil-dress, Brian Childress, Robert Brown2nd: Polish Pluggers – Tanner Moy, Tres Moy, Brad Lyssy, Blaise Moy3rd: Bear Ready Mix – Travis McKee, John Gill, Leroy Navarro

Mr. Big Redfish1st: Ace Scout – David Rowsey, Chad Chil-dress, Brian Childress, Robert Brown2nd: No Fear Jr. – Joshua Clark, Joshua Guzman, Ross Geffert, Bryce Whitliff3rd: Polish Pluggers – Tanner Moy, Tres Moy, Brad Lyssy, Blaise Moy

Mr. Big Flounder1st: Texas South Rattlers – Phillip Man-gan, Garette Manephe, Travis Orsak, Cody Stripling2nd: Bear Ready Mix – Travis McKee, John Gill, Leroy Navarro3rd: Mike Hart Boat – Mike Hart, Brandon Siedel, Richard Siedel, Junior Thomas

One big fishing tournament

Amateur Division

Three Fish Stringer1st: Pro-Vigil – Jason Williams, Pete Bal-lard, Brad Williams, Mark Stanush2nd: Team CMC – Brocke Pittman, Robert Tucker, Shane Plummer, Matt Koehler3rd: Last Minute – Paige Blanton, Ken-neth Hosek, Darrell Lyssy, Greg Wiatrek

Mr. Big Trout1st: Pro-Vigil – Jason Williams, Pete Bal-lard, Brad Williams, Mark Stanush2nd: Last Minute – Paige Blanton, Ken-neth Hosek, Darrell Lyssy, Greg Wiatrek3rd: Performance Equipment – Kelly Durham, Mark Reeves, Dustin Durham, Tom Booth

Mr. Big Redfish1st: Team CMC – Brocke Pittman, Robert Tucker, Shane Plummer, Matt Koehler2nd: Discount Motors – Frank Delarosa, George Major, Brian Strickland, Rene Garcia3rd: Under dog – Rudy Ruiz III, Rudy Ruiz Jr., John Ruiz, Lousi Guerrero

Mr. Big Flounder1st: Team CMC – Brocke Pittman, Robert Tucker, Shane Plummer, Matt Koehler2nd: Pro-Vigil – Jason Williams, Pete Bal-lard, Brad Williams, Mark Stanush3rd: Longshots – Mark Sansing, Jim For-estello, Kevin Stewart, Bill Dooley

Most Spots on RedLast Minute – Paige Blanton, Kenneth Hosek, Darrell Lyssy, Greg Wiatrek

May 5 turned out to be a great day for those participating in the Mr. Big Live Fish Scholarship Tournament in Corpus Christi. Hosted by Niznik Concrete Con-tractors and Johnston Industries, the 52 boats of anglers vied for top hon-

ors. The tournament helps fund marine biology scholarships at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi and promotes fish conservation. –dn

First Place Trout and Three Fish Stringer,Amateur Division

Scholarship winner Michael Birchfield

First Place Redfish and Flounder, Amateur Division First Place Flounder, Pro Division

Hosted by

23rd AnnualFunshoot

Saturday, August 11, 2012National Shooting Complex

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

Watching like a . . .Submitted to Construction News

This hawk lives in North Central San Antonio and likes to perch on the top of a chimney where it can keep an eye on its nearby nest. –sj


So much to choose fromConstruction News ON LOCATION

Comal Supply provides contractor supplies and rentals in New Braunfels.L-R: Judy Eckart, Julie McKee and Bryan Acker, owner. –dn

Sell your equipment theMachinery Auctioneer way....

turn it into cash today!

For consignment and auctioninformation, call 210-648-2225

It’s a power boat race. It’s a poker run. It’s a wild party. It’s all three. It’s Tick-faw 200, a Louisiana powerboat poker

run at Blood River Landing in Springfield, LA. Mike and Mark Crawford, Pro-Line Pavement Maintenance, attended the two-day event, May 4-5. Mike’s wife, Ju-lie, and Mark’s wife, Michelle, went along for the fast and fun poker adventure. Mike said the foursome traveled 200 miles in Mike’s 35 Fountain Lightning Boat over two days gathering poker card punches along the way. According to Mike the race started at the Blood River, went across Lake Mau-repas and into the Blind River. After a couple of stops along the Blind River, the boaters went back down the Blind River, across Lake Maurepas and across Lake

Weekend fun, fun, fun

Mike’s 35 Fountain Lightning Boat (front) is ready to go

Crawford’s Austin friends race along the riverJulie Crawford enjoys the ride

Pontchartrain to New Orleans. From New Orleans they travelled to Harrison, LA and back down to Blood River. Once the players returned to the Fun House at Blood River Marina, they pre-sented their official event identification badge with five poker punches indicat-ing the number of stops they made along the way. Mike said, “To win we had to stop at least five times and have our card punched. When we returned, they pulled out a clean deck of cards and dealt our poker hand. The best poker hand wins $1,500 for starts and then it goes down from there.” Mike added, “We decided to cover the most miles on the calmest day. The deepest part of Lake Pontchartrain is 35 feet, so when the wind comes up it gets rough with five to six foot waves. We cruised across Lake Pontchartrain at 65 mph.” Mike said this wasn’t his first trip to Tickfaw 200. In 2005, he went with a friend on his friend’s boat. Now that Mike has a boat that can handle the bigger wa-ter of Lake Pontchartrain, he decided it was time to make the poker run with his family. Even though Mike didn’t have a win-ning poker hand, he said it didn’t matter. “It was a blast. I’m ready to go back.” –dn


210-587-7634www.GPSofTexas.com

The Independent Electrical Contrac-tors (IEC) National hosted a Legislative Fly-In in Washington, D.C., Apr. 22–24. Eight members and staff from IEC Tex-as chapters attended the event. Those attending from Texas included: Texas Region Director Lloyd Quinney, Quinney Electric and Julie Howard, IEC San Antonio; David Johnson and Eric Peralez, Central Texas IEC; IEC Na-tional President Bobby Tutor, Tutor Electrical Service Inc., and Marcie Funchess, Fort Worth/Tarrant County IEC; Texas Region Director Joe Mar-tin, KenMor Electric, and IEC National Vice President Gordon Stewart, Joe Swartz Electric Company, Texas Gulf Coast IEC. –dn

L-R: Eric Peralez, Rep. Francisco Can-seco, Julie Howard, David Johnson and Lloyd Quinney

Legislative connectionsSubmitted to Construction News

May 14 marked the 2012 American Institute of Architects (AIA), American Society of Landscape

Architects (ASLA) and Acme Brick Scholar-ship Golf Classic. The 24th annual tourna-ment held at the Republic Golf Club drew 140 players. The event raised over $15,000 and will be divided between AIA San An-tonio and the South Texas Chapter of the ASLA to be used for scholarships. –dn Tournament winners include:1st Low Gross: Shawn Willis, Art Johnson, Paul Krackhardt, Brian Baumann1st Low Net: Ken Samson, Harley Black-burn, Jay Flemming, Ricky Reyes2nd Low Net: Carlos Cruz, Carlos Rodri-guez, David Calderon, James Cantu3rd Low Net: Coddy Pena, Patrick Mur-phy, John Moss, Damon ChristofilisLongest Drive: Joe CannataLongest Putt: Anita KegleyClosest to the Pin: Ken Sampson, Brian Ulrich, Miguel Alfaro, Shawn Willis

Longest putt winner Anita Kegley-Deaton, Kegley, Inc.

Golfing raises funds

1st Low Gross L-R: Paul Krackhardt, Goodwin & Green; Art Johnson, McCoy’s Building Supply; Brian Baumann, American Bank of Texas; Shawn Willis, Acuform Architecture

Service satisfactionConstruction News ON LOCATION

L-R: Kevin Clark, Eddie Meckel and Jason Bailey work at Morrison Supply Company, a distributor of plumbing HVAC

and builder products in New Braunfels. –dn


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Nice to be appreciated

Five San Antonio industry associa-tions jointly hosted a parking lot party fittingly named Parking Lot

Sweatfest, May 17. Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC), Air Conditioning Con-tractors of America (ACCA), American Subcontractors Association (ASA), The Builders’ Exchange of Texas (BX) and Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors (PHCC) put on the mixer complete with fajita fare and appropriate Texas libations to show appreciation for their members and guests. –dn

BBQ chefs L-R: Charlie Gallagher, Century A/C Supply, and Keith Schmidt, Schmidt

Mechanical


1415 West PoplarLocated at I-10 & Colorado

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

Over 50 people attended Associated General Contractors (AGC) CLF for a fun night of Missions baseball, May 12. Enjoying the 8–5 win over Midland included

L-R: Sam Nunnelly, Kyle, Nicole and Lyla Pennington,James Jedrziewski and Brendan Hale. –dn

Great gameSubmitted to Construction News

Outstanding studentSubmitted to Construction News

Hunter Bakel, a student at MacArthur High School, North East I.S.D., was named Outstanding Trade and Industries Student Winner in the Texas Career and Technolo-gy Council’s “Best of Texas” awards ceremony, Apr. 30. Hunter is a student in the elec-

trical systems technology magnet apprenticeship program at MacArthur. Shown with Hunter (center) are his instructors L-R: Raul Vasquez and Ed Del Toro. –dn

Intertech Commercial Flooring has added a new Concrete Surface Analysis and Solu-tions Division.

The new division will be headquartered in the Dallas/Fort Worth office and will serve the company’s offices in San Antonio, Austin and Mission. Heading up the new division is concrete expert Rick Kercheval. Kercheval was founder and president of On Track Technologies. There, he worked with health care, institutional and other commercial clients to evaluate and correct concrete issues to extend the life expectancy of flooring. Joining Kercheval as project superinten-dent in Intertech’s new division is Bob Roland. Roland began his career with Stonhard as an installer, and soon was promoted to crew chief, leading project crews across five states. Bill Imhoff, Intertech Flooring President/CEO, said he was delighted to welcome the two professionals to the team. “Projects fail all over the country because of improper testing and treatment of slab is-sues, and there are very few true experts who can guide clients in how to resolve these is-sues,” said Imhoff. “Rick is one of those experts. He began using the best solutions for moisture vapor emissions (MVE) years ago, and is certi-fied in testing for MVE on large projects. His track record, mitigating concrete moisture is-sues on nearly 3 million square feet in highly sensitive areas, puts him at the top of the in-dustry. “In addition, Bob is a seasoned trainer in teaching correct installation techniques and execution of project efficiency. He gets things done with quality and consistency.” –ms

Rick Kercheval

Bob Roland

A good foundation


HVAC& PLUMBING

We love it, you,maybe not so much!

Todd McAlister, Executive DirectorAir Conditioning Contractors of America(ACCA) - TexasAustin, TX

Will it get to 100° fast enough for the HVAC Contrac-tors in Texas? Most likely, not even close to fast

enough, as members of the HVAC industry like the triple digit temps into November, a quick cold snap in January then back to the heat by mid-March. Good news for the consumer is, rarely happens that way, though some of us are still holding our breath and waiting for 80° evenings to keep the weather hot. Not only do contractors worry about how the seasonal outlook will affect their businesses, they now have a myriad of is-sues causing contractors of all sizes to evaluate and reevaluate how they will move forward into the summer of 2012 and beyond. From the cost of refrigerant to smart thermostats, energy audits to economic factors, HVAC contractors are facing an onslaught of critical aspects to their trade. If you have had recent service on your units, and of course, we recommend twice a year tune-ups to help your unit operate at its peak efficiency, you are well aware of the cost increase of R-22 refrig-erant. As Charlie McCrudden, Vice-Presi-dent of Government Affairs for ACCA states, “This situation is the culmination

of several factors, including the contin-ued implementation of the federal gov-ernment’s policies regarding HCFCs, cur-rent market conditions, and delays in the regulatory process.” Without going into a long dialogue of what took place, it boils down to issues within the actual al-location of R-22 for prior years. The EPA recently decided to mandate an even larger cut in the allocation amounts to work towards the 2030 complete phase out of R-22, as mandated by the Montreal Protocol, and this is one of the drivers in-creasing the cost for R-22 refrigerant. There could be further price adjustments before the end of the summer if the EPA decides to make their final rulings on what the allocation amounts will be for 2012 to 2014.

Texas contractors are also in the midst of an energy auditing blitz. As many of you know, the whole home and home energy auditing business is boom-ing in Texas. Recent code changes and the statewide adoption of the 2009 Inter-national Energy Conservation Code has brought energy audits to the forefront of many consumers’ minds. ACCA-Texas sees the value in these audits, and how they could become a valuable tool for a reduction in energy usage within a home; however, we also see the value of still in-corporating licensed HVAC contractors into the scope of work that is performed by these energy audit companies. There could be some movement on regulation of this budding industry in the next legis-lative session of 2013. Another aspect that is bringing about changes to the industry is the adoption of “smart thermostats.” The IPhone, IPad and other smart phones have enabled their fans and companies everywhere to begin an integration of “apps” of all types to become a part of our everyday lives with regards to energy usage. The ability to remotely turn on your HVAC system, your sprinkler system, your lights, outdoor hot tub and other devices and appliances within the home is a growing trend for not only tech savvy consumers but the everyman as well.

This does bring up an interesting discus-sion about who is responsible for installa-tion and maintenance of these smart thermostats. ACCA-Texas firmly believes that only a licensed HVAC contractor should install and maintain components of the HVAC system, and companies that choose to ignore the Texas Department of Licensing rules and regulations should be subject to the same fines and penal-ties that other unlicensed activity re-ceives. Energy efficiency measures, new technology and economic impacts on customers are only a few of the impor-tant issues currently impacting the HVAC industry across Texas and the nation. The remainder of 2012 will be a fast-paced race to find solutions that benefit the in-dustry and more importantly, consumers in Texas. One thing is for sure, another very hot summer is upon us, and for the HVAC industry, the hotter the better! Since 2000, Todd McAlister has been the Executive Director of ACCA-Texas, a Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVAC/R) based non-profit organization that represents more than 750 companies and 5000 employees across Tex-as. Todd also currently serves in the US Navy Reserves as a Logistics Officer out of NOSC San Antonio in support of Fleet based Sup-ply Units. –dn

NEXT MONTHJULY 2012

Electrical Industry

Support Your Industry’s Feature Issue

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• San Antonio• Austin• Dallas/Ft. Worth• Houston

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Licensing and registrationrequirements

John Lain and Jeff RinardTexas Department ofLicensing and RegulationAustin, TX

What changes are occurring in the HVAC industry? Two items we want to address is technician registration and smart home technology.John Lain

Effective Jan. 1986 the Texas Legisla-ture required all air conditioning contrac-tors in Texas be licensed. In 2007, Texas H.B. 463 additionally required techni-cians to register with the Texas Depart-ment of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). All persons in a capacity of air condition-ing refrigeration maintenance that assists a licensed contractor must be registered with the department as a technician. The registration includes a criminal back-ground check at the time of registration and each year upon renewal. New commercial or residential con-struction is exempt from the regulation, and technicians doing air conditioning are not required by this department to be reg-istered. That is because a home or busi-ness does not have an owner or occupant. The second issue is the advancement of remote technology. The control feature, what we call smart home automation, has arrived where many companies can re-motely control the heating and air condi-tioning system. That is something that is on the forefront for our department to monitor potentially unlicensed activity.

Have there been significant code changes in the last year? The department adopted the 2009 residential and mechanical code in Sep. 2011. Through the state energy code, we are requiring homes, particularly new construction, have duct and building en-velope leakage tests. We want to make the homes tighter and the air condition-ing systems more efficient in order to re-duce energy consumption.

How is the code change monitored? The compliance division assists the enforcement division in investigating in-coming complaints. We inspect and veri-fy that required documents have been completed to verify the home (specific to the HVAC system) complies with the 2009 residential, mechanical and the energy codes.

What training is provided on the code change? We travel throughout the state to hold task force meetings with interested stakeholders such as trade schools and

industry associations. We meet with building officials, interested contractors and those who want to be on the leading edge of changing technology. We discuss how the department is going to adminis-ter the programs. Our obligation is to make sure the in-dustry is aware of changes. There are still people in the industry in Texas that aren’t aware that we’ve gone from the 2006 code to the more strict 2009 code.

What enforcement is done by TDLR? We have two separate processes to handle 1) complaints against unlicensed contractors, and 2) complaints for me-chanical integrity problems with HVAC units or systems. If something is wrong with an HVAC system, our technical expert will make an initial inspection of the system and com-pile a report for further investigation. The investigators will interview people and en-sure the City department responsible is following the right ordinance. We will even pull the permit and make sure an inspec-tion was made at the house or business. On a proactive side, we catch con-tractors who don’t have a license. In Tex-as, it is a violation to offer or to perform work without a license. One way we deal with unlicensed ac-tivity is by searching advertisements on Craigslist, green sheets and newspapers. We even review business cards. We gath-er up leads and will conduct four to eight stings per year all over the state. Once we complete one area, we move to another area of the state. During a sting, we get a vacant house or a business that is normally under con-struction. Our undercover investigators

will call unlicensed contractors who are advertising either electrical or air condi-tioning service. We ask them come out and give us a bid to do the work. The bid is very important because that shows they are offering to perform the work. Once we receive the bid, the investiga-tors will gather all the evidence and pre-pare a report that goes to the prosecutor. Additionally, we work with the me-dia to let people know what is going on and see who is doing these violations.

Are most of the complaints against unlicensed contractors? It is a combination of both. There are unlicensed people who will rip people off and mess up a project. Sometimes there are licensed contractors who make mis-takes as well. We stress people should hire a licensed contractor and check him out before he is hired. There is an abundance of informa-tion on the TDLR website where a con-sumer can check a contractor’s license or check if final orders have been filed against a contractor for violations. Also, there is information on the air condition-ing statute, FAQs, rules, application re-quirements, enforcement plan and pen-alty matrix. We also have a customer service divi-sion and a Facebook presence where questions can be asked and answered. John Lain, program manager for air conditioning, is a 39-year industry veteran. He has 34 years as a contractor and five years with TDLR. He is TDLR’s air conditioning and refrigeration subject matter expert with cer-tifications as a mechanical inspector. Jeff Rinard is the investigation manag-er for the enforcement division. –dn


HVAC & PLUMBING

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

210.431.0088 Toll Free 800.725.4776

Fax 210.431.0701www.sss-steel.com

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

“GATE OPERATORS FORRESIDENTIAL, COMMERCIAL

FARM and RANCH”

Change is constant in the industryMatt Beecroft, Service ManagerGuarantee Plumbing & A/C Inc.

San Antonio, TX

How would you describe the cur-rent condition of the HVAC and

plumbing industry? The industry is changing more into a service-oriented industry. In the past the industry focused more on equipment re-placement rather than service. Now that is changing due to increasing costs relat-ed to new regulations and the higher cost of equipment. These factors are driv-ing our costs higher, and our level of ser-vice has to match the higher prices.

What regulation changes are impact-ing the industry? The phase out of R-22 refrigerant is making a significant impact on the indus-try. The Environmental Protection Agen-cy (EPA) placed a hold on the importation and manufacture of R-22 a few months ago. Prices have tripled overnight on the refrigerant. For smaller businesses that don’t have the cash flow for the increased cost, it is putting them in a bind.

For residential and business custom-ers who have units that use R-22 re-frigerant, what are their options? R-22 costs around $80 per pound. Customers are surprised by the higher price of the refrigerant, however service is still available on existing equipment. If a customer has a leaking coil, the deci-sion is whether to put money into an ob-solete system? That is a tough decision since probably 70 percent of residential customers and 95 percent of commercial customers still have R-22 systems.

To address the issue, we are educat-ing our customers about different re-bates that are offered through CPS Ener-gy and through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). There are some IRS tax re-bates on energy efficient equipment. In 2006, companies quit manufactur-ing new equipment with R-22, but they still can manufacture the R-22 refrigerant for several more years to service existing equipment. However, people need to plan on the phase out of the R-22 and plan for a new system. To find out more, the EPA website has information about this issue.

What is the most significant challenge your industry faces? Labor shortages are a big issue for us. It is difficult to find people who are either skilled to do the work or find young peo-ple who are willing to learn the HVAC trade. We are looking for people who have a good work ethic and are willing to learn. In this economy, we see a number of people moving among companies within the area in order to earn another dollar an hour. We are fortunate at our compa-ny that we have people with longevity who stay with us. We are not seeing the turnover that other companies are expe-riencing. How long does it take to get trained to do the job? For HVAC, a helper can start on day one. However, moving up to a technician level takes two to three years in the in-dustry.

What are the education requirements for plumbing? Plumbing is different. People have to apply for an apprentice card, which al-lows the apprentice to work under a jour-neyman or a master plumber. There are different levels in the plumbing trade – tradesman plumber, journeyman and master plumber. It takes two to three years minimum to increase through each step.

Are there changes in technology that are impacting the industry? Technology has changed a lot over the last few years with residential and commercial equipment. This is due to customers wanting higher energy effi-ciency. Also, equipment is larger than be-fore and more computers are used in the equipment. The footprint of the equipment is about the same, but it’s a little heavier. Sometimes we run into situations where we have to brace up an older structure be-cause of the added weight on the rooftop. As for green building construction, we are seeing more geothermal heat pumps. With more energy efficient equipment, we have to look at the whole building to come up with the best solu-tion for the customer.

Besides the increase in R-22 prices, what cost increases are occurring? Costs are increasing due to the price of equipment. Raw material prices to manufacture products have increased.

When the increased cost of copper and fuel is factored in with the increasing in-surance rates due to the mold issue from years ago, costs have gone up dramati-cally.

Is copper theft still a problem? Even though new equipment has more copper than before, there isn’t much we can do on the residential side to safe guard the units. Since units are on the ground, homeowners generally do not want to put a cage around their unit because it isn’t attractive. Many commer-cial buildings are locking the staircases going to the roof and some are installing cages around the equipment.

What are the rewards of being in the industry? There is always going to be a de-mand for HVAC and plumbing. Being able to solve a customer’s issue is always a good thing. Guarantee Plumbing & A/C has been around since 1934, and our customers know we are not going anywhere. We have a reputation of integrity have a very loyal commercial and residential custom-er base. Guarantee Plumbing & A/C, Inc. is a full-service repair company for HVAC and plumbing. Service Manager Matt Beecroft joined Guarantee after owning a Houston-based HVAC company for 14 years. Beecroft is the service manager for both HVAC and plumbing. –dn


The Crowne Plaza Hotel in North Austin was a can’t-miss destination for area subcontractors May 8,

when The Blue Book held its annual GC Showcase. General contractors from all over Texas and even from out of state in places as far away as California set up booths to make contact with area subcontractors to help out with upcoming jobs. –ms

Calling all subs


Round-Up Association CalendarContent submitted by Associations to Construction News

ABCAssociated Builders & Contractors

Jun. 4, 18, Jul. 2: Members new employ-ee orientation. 8–11am. ABC office, $45 person, Contact: Bob JettJun. 12 & 14: CPR & First Aid Certifica-tion. ABC office, $30 ABC/BX member, $40 non-member. Must attend both nights for certification.Jun. 19–22: OSHA 30 Hour, 8am–6pm, $500 member, $650 non-member. See website for early discount. Jun. 27: Documentation seminar. 3– 6pm, ABC office, $50 member; $75 non-member. Contact: Carol WiatrekJun. 28: Burgers & Beer Membership Mixer. Bluebonnet Palace. $25 person Jun. 29, Jul. 6 & 13: 9-hr training Construc-tion 101. 2–5pm, ABC office, $125 members, $150 non-members. Contact Bob JettFor information: 210-342-1994 or www.abcsouthtexas.org

ACCAAir Conditioning Contractors of Amer.

Jun. 4: Golf Tournament, Club at Sonter-ra North Course, 12pm, $125 person

AGCAssociated General Contractors

Jun. 1: CM-BIM exam, AGC office, 8am– noonJun. 4: Reception for NEISD President Beth Plummer, AGC office, 5-7pmJun. 5: Brown Bag Lunch: Gallagher Ben-efit Services, AGC office, noon; The Basics, Session #10, Education Center, 6–8pmJun. 7-8: PMDP Module 3: Project Adminis-tration, Education Center, 7:30am–4:30pmJun. 8: Education Committee meeting, AGC office, 8:30amJun. 13: Fall Protection Awareness, AGC office, 12–4pmJun. 15: Brown Bag Lunch: Fundamental & Enhanced Commissioning, AGC office, noon Jun. 21: Safety & Health Committee meeting, AGC office, 11:30amJun. 22: Board of Director’s meeting, Pe-troleum Club, 8amJun. 26: CLF Steering Council meeting, AGC office, noon

AIAAmerican Institute of Architects

Jun. 25: Monthly meeting, 12pm; Luby’s Fiesta Room, 911 N. Main Ave. Speaker: Parks Impact Study. $15 associate AIA & interns, $20 members, $25 guests

ASAAmerican Subcontractors Association

Jun. 12: Dinner meeting, StoneWerks at Lincoln Heights, The good, the bad and the ugly of social media. $40 members, $55 non-members Jun. 14: Lunchbox Seminar: Am I at Risk? Padgett, Stratemann & Co., 100 NE Loop 410 #1100, 78216. $30 members, $40 non-members Jun. 20: Mixer at San Antonio Missions Baseball, Free: ASA & HCA members Jun. 22-23: 11th Annual Fishing Tourna-ment, Port Aransas. Jun. 28: Lien & Bond Claim Seminar, 1:30-4:30pm, Padgett, Stratemann & Co. $150 members, $165 non-members. For information: 210-349-2105 or [email protected]

HCA de San AntonioHispanic Contractors Association

All events held at HCA office unless otherwise specifiedJun. 7, 14, 21 and 28: HCA Help Desk Thurs-days. 9am-noon, HCA members FREE, RSVP Jun. 6: Dine & Discover: Employee verifica-tion. Homeland Security. 8-10am. $5 mem-bers, $10 non-members. RSVPJun. 9: Fall Protection Training Class in Eng-lish: FREE, 8am-3pm; RSVP: www.blacktie-sanantonio.com/rsvp. Event Code: hcafpe01.Jun. 14: HCA/SBA: 8A certification & busi-ness growth. FREE. Bring brown bag lunch. 11:30am-12:30pm; RSVPJun. 20: HCA/ASA Estimator Appreciation Missions Mixer, Wolff Stadium, 6-8pm. $5 HCA, ASA & prospective members. Free for estimators. RSVPJun. 21: Creating Safety Program for Small Business in English: FREE, 702 Colo-

rado, 6th Fl. Conf. Rm, Austin 78701. 9am-4pm, RSVP: www.blacktie-sanantonio.com/rsvp Event Code: hcaspe01Jun. 23: Fall Protection Training Class in Span-ish, FREE, 8am-3pm, RSVP: www.blacktie-san-antonio.com/rsvp Event Code: hcafps02Jun. 26: HCA, Alamo City Black Chamber of Commerce and Alamo City Asian American Chamber of Commerce outreach event to help small business get work with local agencies, 8am-noon, RSVP: www.blacktie-sanantonio.com/rsvp Event Code: hcaabh01.Jun. 27: Creating Safety Program for Small Business in Spanish, FREE, Mexican Con-sulate. Black tie. RSVP: www.blacktie-san-antonio.com/rsvp Event Code: hcasps02For RSVP/information: 210-444-1100, [email protected]

IECIndependent Electrical Contractors

Jun. 7-10: IEC Texas State Conference, Lake TahoeJun. 15: Annual Sporting Clay Fun Shoot, San Antonio Gun Club, noon–5pmJun. 16: Electrical Maintenance Tech Class, IEC office, 8am– 5pmJun. 18: Continuing Ed., IEC office, 5–9pmJun. 19: A&T Committee mtg, IEC office, 11amJun. 20: Board of Director’s mtg, IEC of-fice, 11amJun. 21: IEC Graduation, Leon Valley Con-ference Center, 6:30pmJun. 22-24: Executive Director’s Confer-ence, HoustonJul. 4: IEC offices closed

MCA–SMACNAMechanical Contractors Association

Sheet Metal & A/C Nat’l Assn.

Jun 6: Summer Social, Silverhorn Golf Club, 6pmJun. 20: Joint industry fund forum & business meeting, Oak Hills Country Club, 11:30am

NAWICNat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

Jun. 6: General meeting & board elec-tions. Petroleum Club. 5:30pmJun. 26: Board meeting, Komada, 6pm

PHCC Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors

June: No monthly meetingJun. 2, 23, 30: Plumbers CE classJun. 19: Dane Bauerle training: Unlock-ing Keys to Personal & Business Success in a Tough EconomyJun. 26: Board meetingFor information: 210-824-7422 or www.phcc-tx.org

Zachry Industrial Inc. welcomes Mike Kotara as their vice president, power sector executive in the enterprise stra-tegic development department, which controls all sales, new business and prior business relationships. –dn

DEA Specialties Co. Inc. is pleased to an-nounce the addition of Paul Hougdahl to the firm. A mechanical engineer, Hougdahl will be an estimator and proj-ect manager at DEA. –dn

CNG Engineering is happy to announce that Kenneth Shappley, P.E., LEED GA has joined the firm as senior mechanical engi-neer. He has more than 21 years of ex-perience in the A/E/C industry and maintains registra-tion in 25 states as a licensed professional engineer. –dn

Garth Benjamin “Ben” Reese, PE, recently joined Raba Kistner Inc. as construction mate-rials project engi-neer in its San Anto-nio office. Reese holds both a Mas-ters and a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental En-gineering from Brigham Young Universi-ty. –dn

HOLT CAT announces the following pro-motions and new hires. –dnRon Craft has been promoted to vice president of ma-chine product sup-port. A 19-year vet-eran in the heavy equipment busi-ness, Craft is re-sponsible for all parts and service support for machine customers.Bob Harwood has been promoted to vice president of machine sales. He is responsible for all new and used ma-chine sales and rental equipment for the dealership. He has been involved in the heavy equip-ment business for 37 years.

Edward Craner has been appointed vice president of Strategy and mar-keting. He will lead strategy and mar-keting for all divi-sions of HOLT CAT. Robert “Bert” Ful-gium has been pro-moted to vice presi-dent of power sys-tems product sup-port. A 20-year in-dustry veteran, he will oversee all in-dustrial engine and generator set parts and customer service support.

Howard Hicks will assume the role of vice president and director of public affairs. He is a 36-year veteran of the company.

Erin Fogarty has joined the company as the financial mar-keting manager and is responsible for the financial marketing team.

Aline Carmichael has been named the new senior di-rector of human re-source partners. She is responsible for leading Holt’s human resource practices, safety and environmental management services.

Coyle_SDA, Inc. has hired James “Jim” W. Russell, RPLS, as survey manager for the San Antonio office. –dn

HOLT CAT named Mark Baker direc-tor of business skills development. He will be responsible for managing core operational busi-ness skills in addi-tion to conducting process standard-ization training.

SDASociety for Design Administration

Jun. 28: Meeting: Gain Control of Your Day in an Uncontrollable Workplace. Bright Shawl, 819 Augusta, noon–1:15pm, $20, RSVP: 210-757-4594

SAABESan Antonio Assn. of Building Engineers

Jun. 20: Monthly luncheon, Embassy Suites Hotel, 7750 Briaridge, 11:30am– 1:15pm, Means and Methods of Building Exterior Restoration

SAMCASan Antonio Masonry Contractors Assn.

Jun. 14: Golden Trowel Awards Banquet, 6:30pm; Club at Sonterra, $95 person; Debbie 830-606-5556

TxFSCATx Fire Sprinkler Contractors Assn.

Jun. 7-10: Skins and Fins, South Shore Harbor Resort, 2500 South Shore Blvd., League City

USGBC Central Texas – Balcones ChapterUS Green Building Council

Jun. 3: Cool House Tour, Austin, 10am–6pm, Earn up to 8 GBCI CEUsJun. 8-10: Heart of Texas Green Expo, Bastrop Convention & Exhibit Center, 1408 Chestnut St, BastropJun. 21: Documentary Screening: Cli-mate Refugees; UT School of Architec-ture, Goldsmith Hall, Austin


continued from Page 1 — Revitalizing Broadway continued from Page 1 — Business expansion

continued from Page 1 — Companies join together

less steel, carpet and paint. The HVAC sys-tem is a chiller system utilizing ice storage tanks to produce the chiller water. Green notes the project will be LEED certified for core and shell. Stevens states there were several major challenges the team encountered during construction. “As with any older structure, our ma-jor challenges were associated with the remodel portions of the building: adding a new roof over the existing two-story component, cutting window and door openings into the existing masonry walls of the bakery hall, finding buried layers of old concrete and asphalt paving through-out the site, and old pipes interfering with new,” notes Stevens. “We even had to drag an old ButterKrust delivery truck out of one of the structures.” Green acknowledges that while there were some challenges, teamwork made the project very workable. “We have teamed with the owner, ar-chitect and engineer on 27 developments over the past 15 years. Each project was unique in its own way, but the constant has been our working relationship,” adds Stevens. “We get together very early on in the design phase and try to solve all the design and cost issues before we even break ground. We believe these early de-sign meetings are invaluable to the ulti-

mate success of these projects.” A general construction company, Kopplow Construction Company Inc. was founded in 1976 by Edward K. Kopplow and performs 85 percent private work and 15 percent public work. Today, the company has 20 employ-ees and handles an array of building proj-ects for all types of clients. Companies such as R.L. Worth & Associates, a real es-tate development firm, have relied on Kopplow Construction to build over 1,600,000 sf of industrial and office space, while private businesses such as Lone Star Bakery have hired the general con-tracting firm to construct seven projects over the last 20 years. “Kopplow Construction success is based upon its collective real estate de-velopment experience and years of com-mercial construction expertise,” adds Green. “This enables us to relate to our clients throughout every aspect of the development and construction process, as well as offer cost and time savings whenever possible. Additionally, we self perform the majority of our concrete work in-house. As a result, our clients gain the advantage in pricing, scheduling and quality control.” Kopplow Construction, Inc. is located in San Antonio and provides general contract-ing services to clients throughout Texas. –dn

Construction includes a

two-story and a three-story

addition to the building.

Lampe notes the new office will al-low for a faster response time for its ser-vices. He said services provided at the lo-cation will be “engineering consulting, environmental engineering, facilities consulting, with a strong emphasis on geotechnical engineering, testing and pavement consulting, and construction materials engineering, testing and in-spections.” Recognizing that New Braunfels and the Austin/San Antonio corridor remains a tremendous growth area for Texas,

Lampe adds, “We want to serve our cli-ents in New Braunfels and along the cor-ridor more efficiently. We are going to support our clients from both ends of the corridor.” Raba Kistner Consultants provides pro-gram management services for facilities planning and building enclosures rehabili-tation, environmental engineering and consulting, infrastructure engineering, geo-technical engineering and testing, con-struction materials engineering and test-ing, and pavement consulting. –dn

Browning states he will continue working at the firm. “I will be doing stra-tegic planning, developing new work and be involved in the executive man-agement,” he said. “It’s exciting to have Jamie with us,” adds Koontz. “He has a lot of experience and certainly has a lot of contacts in the marketplace. I think it is a win-win for ev-erybody. This is a great partnership for us. Browning is an 81-year-old company that has built a lot of great projects in San Antonio.” When asked if the company will be

expanding into new market areas, Brown-ing states, “That is something we are go-ing to be looking at together, and we’ll be deciding if there will be new markets. “Right now it is a very good opportu-nity to combine our two companies to-gether. We think we have some real op-portunities, and I am very excited to be with such a wonderful organization.” Koontz McCombs Construction, Ltd. provides general contracting services for commercial, institutional, industrial, medi-cal and multi-family projects. –dn

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The SpawGlass annual luau has become a local tradition. This year marks the fif-teenth year the general contracting company hosted its subcontractor, supplier and vendor appreciation event. Normally held at the corporate headquarters in

Selma, the company moved the May 10 event to the Blue Bonnet Palace on Lookout Road. Even though the area was blessed with rain, the new venue easily accommo-dated hundreds of guests in its indoor facility. –dn

Appreciation custom

Chuck Calvin and Russell Jenkins, SpawGlass

L-R: Robert Schultz, Architectural Division 8; Rick Corso, United Rentals; Bruce Culver, Scott Grover and Louis Garcia, Speedway Erection

Martha Johnson, John Metoyer, Seleta Metoyer, Martha Wingo, CJ Tile & Marble Inc.

L-R: Ron Ohm, SpawGlass; Davy Beiker, Beicker Martinez Engineering; Kerry

Andrews, KA Architect

L-R: Steve Holt, Jacobs, and Al Vazquez, SpawGlass

L-R: Zane Richardson, Fernando Faz and Paul Lyssy, Richardson Tile & Plaster

L-R: Robert Hofmann, Jacob Orosco and Shannon Ritchie, Convergint Technologies


Job Sights

Constructing a building expansion for a promotional products companyin San Antonio is Felipe Casillas, New Concepts. –dn

L-R: Martin Navarro and Beto Rios, Ecko Construction, build new parkingand sidewalk facilities in San Antonio. –dn

Going the distanceConstruction News ON LOCATION

Cody Culwell, Ott Plumbing Company Inc. in New Braunfels,is headed out to a job in McQueeney, TX. –dn

Eagle FordShale

15 to 500 TonCapacities

Availablefor yourToughestProjects

fromEl Paso to Beaumont

Amarillo to Brownsville

www.alamocrane.com

San Antonio (210) 344-7370Austin (412) 282-6866Toll Free (800) 880-0134

Woman-Owned BusinessCity–94–020011/WBE

State–13580/WOB

El Amar

33 Yearsof Serviceto Texas

L-R: Chuck Strey and Grover Wright, AmeriCRANE assist 1st Choice Air Conditioning & Heating Services in setting air conditioning units in San Antonio. –dn

With hot weather fast approaching L-R: Johnny Hill, Ben Arizola and Ray Martinez, A/C Technical Services Ltd., take care of HVAC maintenance for their customers. –dn


Lumber and moreConstruction News ON LOCATION

Whether its building materials, windows or specialty hardwareL-R: Marcie Heidrich, Diana Eberhard and Shellie McInnisare there to assist at Eberhard Lumber in New Braunfels. –dn

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