Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News October 2015

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Covering the Industry’s News

A North Texas roofing contractor has a new roof over its head. Cham-berlin Roofing & Waterproofing

recently moved its DFW operations to a modern 28,000-sf facility at 2170 Diplo-mat Drive in Farmers Branch, just a few miles away from its previous location. The move provides an opportunity for the company to accommodate its growth and operational needs. The 14,000-sf warehouse space contains Chamberlin’s in-house sheet metal fabri-cation shop and includes a craft and safe-ty training room and main conference room. Both are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including the latest A/V controls to allow communication with Chamberlin offices in Texas and

Oklahoma. Chamberlin put its own ex-pertise to use, completing the roof sys-tem, waterproofing, elastomeric coating, warehouse flooring and control joint work. Besides being more spacious and tech-savvy, the building, designed by Al-liance Architects and constructed by Schwob Building Company, is more en-ergy and environment-conscious as well. LED lighting, sensor faucets and recycled porcelain restroom countertops can be found throughout the facility. The new building has also been awarded a Tilt-Up Achievement Award from the Tilt-Up Concrete Association (TCA).

Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing is under a new roof in Farmers Branch.

Trick or Treat!

Mark Piepenbrok, owner and pres-ident of general contracting com-pany WestWind Building Corpo-

ration, had originally bid the 75,000-sf Toyota of Dallas remodel project to be completed in 12-13 months. But, as he soon realized, why take a year to finish a project when you can assemble an efficient team and complete it in less than 9 months? Before the construction began, the original dealership, located at 2610 For-est Lane, consisted of multiple buildings on multiple parcels of land. The new and recently completed dealership now is a single building on a single parcel of land. The new facility contains a 30,000-sf ser-vice shop, a storage area for parts, an in-viting and relaxing customer lounge en-vironment and a two-story showroom fashioned in the state-of-the-art “Toyota style.” Structural steel framing, high-per-formance metal panels, stucco and glass support make up the building’s exterior,

with the focus on the dealership’s tower featuring a mammoth-sized video screen. A metal structure serves as the dealer-ship’s service shop. Stamped and stained decorative concrete grace the grounds. Inside, tile makes for stylish but easy maintenance, while Austin stone visually warms up the customer lounge area. Younger visitors, too, are greeted with a space just for them: An indoor children’s play area that is shaped like a cave. Piepenbrok credits a fantastic, hard-working team, including the Van Tuyl Group’s Robert Carli and Missy Monier, WestWind project manager Harold Stem-per, Jacobs & Associates architect Jim Hardin and especially the subcontractors, with keeping the project on the fast track. “We’re only as good as our subcon-tractors, and we can’t be anything with-out them,” Piepenbrok says, praising Os-borne Concrete Co., Lundy Services LLC,

The 75,000sf Toyota Dallas dealership remodel was – literally – ahead of its time.

Roger Wakefield has two families to thank for his foray into business ownership.

The first – and perhaps the most in-fluential – is his own. “My parents actually taught swim-ming lessons out of a pool in their back-yard, and I worked for them as a child,” Wakefield explains. “From them, I learned the customer is always first. We dealt with everything from parents to children who maybe were afraid of the water. I learned you have to handle each person in a different way.” Another family ran a close second, however. “When I was growing up, one of my best friends had a father who was a mas-

ter plumber and three older brothers who were plumbers,” Wakefield remem-bers. “They got me into plumbing in 1980 with my first plumbing job, and I really enjoyed it. I ended up working with every brother they had and even worked with the dad for a while. It’s a great trade; plumbers get to do a lot of great things.” A first remodel project on a local bank led to work on apartment projects, service and commercial work. In 1997, he joined a union and began doing more commercial and industrial work, first as a journeyman, then as a foreman, superin-tendent and finally a director of opera-tions for a mechanical contracting com-pany.

Texas Green Plumbing Company owner Roger Wakefield chose to pursue his passions.

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Oct 2015

Breaking goodConstruction News ON LOCATION

The crew at Lewisville-based interior, selective and wrecking demolition specialist Precision Demolition enjoys a break in the heat as they prepare to expertly break

apart the next building. –mjm

Halloween fun

Keep Construction News in mind this year when your office undergoes a spooky transformation and the ghosts and goblins come out to play! Send your photos

from Halloween to [email protected]


Fountain of roof

The Dallas Fort Worth Construction News (ISSN 1547-7657) is published monthly by Construction News Ltd., dba Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News, and distributed by mail to construction related companies in the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area. 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 Dallas Fort Worth 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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The networking flowed for Texas’ roofing industry Sep. 16-18. The Roofing Contractors Association of

Texas (RCAT) hosted its 40th annual con-ference and trade show, a three-day get-to-know-you extravaganza featuring fun-for-all events. It all kicked off Wednesday morning with a foreman-only class and an RCAT board of directors meeting at the Omni Hotel. However, business quickly turned to pleasure at RCAT’s golf tournament at Fort Worth’s Waterchase Golf Club Pavil-ion. The North Texas Roofing Contractors Association (NTRCA) then made everyone feel at home with a “Welcome to North Texas!” reception and awards dinner. While exhibitors prepared their booths Thursday morning at the Fort Worth Convention Center, seminars and educational programs were held for at-tendees. A ribbon cutting started off the RCAT trade show, which featured more than 80 roofing industry exhibitors. That evening, attendees walked the red car-pet at the “BIG 4-0 Celebration” and awards ceremony and kicked their heels up to the tunes of the Preston Scott Band. Some attendees may have retired early from the festivities due to Friday morning’s RCAT license exam, but for those not testing, more seminars, educa-tional programs and the trade show awaited. Finally, it was back to business for the RCAT board, which held a final meeting before saying “Happy Trails” to their good time in Cowtown. –mjm

National Roofing Contractors Association

Eco Chief ProductsWest End Roofing Siding & Windows

SPEC Building Materials Corp.

Southern Shingles

CertainTeed A.C.T Metal Deck Supply

ER Systems

Buzz Roofing and Construction and NTRCA Superior Equipment & Supply

Equipment Depot

ABC Supply Co. inc.

FABRAL

Allied Building Products Corp.

Firestone Building Products

Powerfoam Insulation

Atlas Roofing

Tropical Roofing Products

Ross Manufacturing LLC


Steve LuckyPresident/CEO

Lucky Construction, Inc.Dallas

“Lucky” isn’t just his name, it’s how Steve Lucky got his first real break in construction. Since

then, the president and CEO of Lucky Construction Inc. has spent the past 28 years building a successful general con-tracting business. Over the years, how-ever, he has learned that success in busi-ness, while nice, is not as important as helping others succeed in business.

What sparked your interest in con-struction? Was someone in your fami-ly in the industry? My grandpa on my mother’s side was a painter, and that’s actually how I got started, as a painting contractor working my way through college. I end-ed up getting a two-year Associate’s de-gree in Arts and Science from Mountain View, or as we call it, “Oak Cliff Universi-ty.”

What did you do after college? I was a paint contractor after college, also. I was doing pretty well, but I got in-volved in the ’80s single scene in North Dallas and moved to The Village, and the next thing you know, I woke up one day and I was broke! I saw an ad in the paper for a construction coordinator for The Southland Corporation. It’s a long story, but that’s how I got my start. I think there were hundreds of applicants and all of them had engineering and architecture degrees, but I ended up getting the job.

Why do you think you got the job over the other applicants? I think the construction manager that was hiring went to the same high school I went to and he saw my resume and he was curious – and he knew my brother. Yeah, it was a lucky break! Al-though, I will say I interviewed fantasti-cally …

Well, that goes without saying! Of course, he had to have his boss in-terview me as well. Years later, I asked him why he hired me, and he said, “Be-cause I could tell you were hungry. You were really wanting an opportunity.” It worked out. I got the job, I learned a lot and that was the start of my illustrious ca-reer!

What was the first year like for you? As a painting contractor, you probably knew your way around a construction site, but the hat you were wearing was different this time. My title was construction coordina-tor and my job was to coordinate the general contractors to build new ground-up 7-Eleven stores. I had to learn a lot, because I really didn’t know much – I may

have exaggerated a little bit about my experience! Knowing that I had to live up to that, I really was aggressive in learning as much as I could, as fast as I could.

Where did your career go from there? Back in those days, Southland was very large, but they closed my depart-ment and laid me off. I had enough no-tice to make plans. I took my 401K money and got special permission from one of the Thompsons [of the founding family] and I started my contracting business on Sep. 1, 1987. I traded my Cadillac for a pick-up and started the company with just $6,000, of-ficing out of my house. I started out as a maintenance contractor, striping parking lots and fixing broken toilets in 7-Elevens. Because of the relationship I had building them, everyone knew me when I started my company and asked me to come help them.

Did you feel comfortable in your new role as business owner as opposed to working as an employee? Did you take to it right away, or was it an adjust-ment? Well, I didn’t have much of a choice. It was out of desperation. I had had the most awesome job on the planet at the time, and was laid off and out on the streets. I knew that I had to make this work. My thinking was that the contrac-tors that had been working for me were no smarter than I was, and they all got rich! I thought that if they could do it, I could do it. That’s what got me going. I was very driven.

Were there any surprises? No, not really. I took on any and ev-ery thing they threw at me. Back in those days, I worked out of my home; I had an accordion file, a mobile phone (when they were fairly new) and no computer skills, really. I had a part-time administra-tive assistant – very part-time. A good year for me in the first five years was if I did $300,000 in sales – I thought I was rich! It was the fifth year that everything exploded. I had the opportunity to get involved in a 7-Eleven remodel program and I got involved and did really well. My first year in that program, I broke a mil-lion dollars and it changed everything.

With your experience of being laid off, did that affect how you ran your com-pany at all? Yes, it always has. I’ve always had a problem letting people go. I had been very successful, and was even a million-aire, but when 9/11 happened, I went broke. The reason was because I kept em-ployees on as long as I could – probably way longer than I should have – and it got me into a lot of trouble. I just always took the responsibility of employing people very seriously. They’re raising their kids and putting food on the table in their homes because of the job I am providing.

What have you enjoyed about owning a construction company? I think more than anything, I enjoy teaching and coaching people to rise to a higher level than what they thought they could do. Several of the people I have coached and trained now own their own businesses, and a few others have landed big jobs with big construction compa-nies; that’s the most rewarding part.

What advice would you give those in-terested in pursuing a construction career? You’re going to need to have an un-derstanding of priority or time manage-ment and learn how to make good deci-sions and make good judgment.

What is your life like outside of work? My wife, Cyndi, and I like to partici-pate in ministry helping the needy. My wife started a ladies ministry that ad-vanced into bringing men into it. I’ve been in Bible study groups for many years, and we’ve done things such as gone out into the streets and handed totes to homeless people. I don’t do as much of it as I would like to do; we did a lot more of it 10 years ago, but we hope to do more. My wife actually works for a Catholic evangelist ministry, and I assist them from time to time as well. We also really enjoy going camping and getting out in the country. We have a cabin in West Texas and we like to go out there with our 4-wheeler. In the past year, I have bought an RV camper and we real-ly enjoy taking it out to different RV parks. We recently enjoyed the Lush Resort at Possum Kingdom Lake.

Do you have any furry friends that go with you on these trips? We have three Labs; we just got the third one, a 2-year-old yellow Lab. He was running loose on the street and was go-ing to be put down, so I adopted him. He’s ended up being a great dog – we named him “Lucky,” by the way! The oth-er two are a yellow Lab named “Buddy” and a chocolate Lab, “Hershey.”

Do you collect anything? I used to collect shotguns, but don’t do it much anymore; I’m a big fan of Benelli. I also collect sports memorabilia; I have a football signed by a bunch of NFL alumni and a signed basketball by the Mavs when they were one game short of winning the championship a few years ago.

Your company will be 30 years old in two years. That’s incredible! Did you ever think it would hit this milestone? No, I never really thought about it. It’s been a while but it doesn’t seem like it. It’s been a heck of a ride. In the past 28 years, we’ve earned the national speed record for building a ground-up 7-Eleven in Hillsboro in 38 days, and we’ve rebuilt a burned-down Chili’s in Oklahoma in 20 days. We’ve done a lot of neat stuff and we’ve worked for a lot of big-name com-panies. But the things that used to moti-vate me aren’t necessarily the things that motivate me now. Used to, it was about wanting to be successful, and like the op-era singer – “Me, me, me!” Now, I’m more motivated by doing good things, and se-curity and stabilization for my employ-ees. It’s not about me. A lot of it is about the glory of God.

Will you retire doing this? Yes, I will do this until I retire. I hope to retire in five years, maybe, and that ev-erything will just work out for everybody involved.

Five years is not far off! What do you think you’ll do when you retire? I’m going to want to go fishing more and get out in the country where I can get some air and peace and quiet. I also want to do more volunteer work and more ministry. Dallas-based Lucky Construction is a commercial general maintenance contrac-tor specializing in new construction, remod-els, roll-out programs, interior finish-outs, site work, utility and consulting. –mjm

Lucky Construction’s Steve Lucky is approaching 30 years as a general contractor.

“I traded my Cadillac for a pick-up and started the company with just $6,000, officing out of my house.”

“I just always took the responsibility of employing

people very seriously.”

“I got involved in the ’80s single scene in North Dallas and moved to The Village, and the next thing you know, I woke up one day and

I was broke!”

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Weldon Contractors service technician Juan Jasso (right) was one of 35 jurors who recently summoned his best smile while posing for a photo op with former President

George W. Bush (left). Jasso was reporting to jury duty on Aug. 5 at Dallas’ George Allen courthouse when he realized the 43rd POTUS was among the potential jurors. Neither was

selected, but both still seemed happy to answer the call of duty. –mjm

Greeting around the BushSubmitted to Construction News

Doubleheader

Two association chapters doubled up to host a trade show Sep. 10 at Globe Life Park’s Texas Rangers Hall

of Fame. The Independent Electrical Con-tractors (IEC)’s Dallas and Fort Worth chapters welcomed hundreds of industry members who came to visit vendor booths and learn about the latest electri-cal–related products and services. –mjm

IEC Dallas’ Susan Weaver

Eastridge Workforce Solutions

Summit Electric Supply

Legrand

Bell & McCoy

IEC Fort Worth/Tarrant County’s Marcie Funchess and Eaton Corp.’s Paul Lowke

Kevco Electrical Inc.

J.L. Matthews Co.

Graybar Electric

Burrus & Matthews Inc.

Elliott Electric Supply

Texas Lighting Sales


Working partsConstruction News ON LOCATION

L-R: Mike De La Torres, Chris Rippey, Keelan Crosby, Matt Gardner,Danelle Cochran, Doug Bagley and Keith Barker of Kirby-Smith Machinery Inc.

in Dallas operate like a well-oiled machine! The team sells, rents, services andprovides parts for construction equipment. –mjm

On Aug. 28, the construction of an on-campus Aviation Maintenance Education Center (AMEC) and classroom for Fort Worth’s Paul Laurence Dunbar High School took flight.

KAI Texas, which designed the hands-on educational facility, helped celebrate the groundbreaking of the state-of-the-art structure, which will help prepare students for

careers in the aviation industry. –mjm

Flight plansSubmitted to Construction News

Key employee protection:Preserving your businessKirk Quaschnick, PresidentMogul Wealth Strategies, LLCMcKinney, TX

As a construction company owner, you recognize the importance of insuring your building, inventory, and

equipment. These assets are vital to the success of your company. But have you considered what would happen

if a key employee died unexpectedly or became disabled?

Key employees are the foundation of a successful business. They are business owners, supervisors, project managers, CFOs, or any other individuals who are sources of leadership and profita bility, and who would be extremely difficult to replace. Unless the proper steps are tak-en, the death or disability of a key em-ployee can be devastating to the finan-cial well-being of your company.

The Solution: Key Employee Protec-tion Funding a plan to protect key em-ployees may give your business the ad-ditional funds it needs to:• Hire and train replacements.• Replace an employee’s contribu tion to profits.• Maintain the confidence of clients and creditors.• Meet possible loan obligations if the key employee was also a guarantor on busi-ness loans. There are three basic options for funding the costs associated with the sudden loss of a key employee: cash ac-cumulation or a sinking fund, borrowing from a bank, or life insurance.

Option 1 - Cash or Sinking Fund In this option, a business establishes a savings plan, much like a bank account, to protect itself from the death or disabil-ity of its key employ ees. At death, the cash in the savings plan is used as a source of funding. Unfortunately, this method has several drawbacks:• A savings plan accumulates funds over time. What if funds are needed tomor-row?• Accumulated cash could cause an accu-mulated earnings problem.• Any growth on the accumulated funds may be income taxable.• A savings plan may be depleted to pay for other expenses.• The business owner(s) will pay dollar for dollar, thus depleting the amount of cash that could be used elsewhere.

Option 2- Borrowing Funds In this option, funds are borrowed, usually through a bank loan, to replace the financial loss caused by a key employ-ee’s death or disability. Drawbacks of this

option include:• A potential slowdown in business growth due to additional loan repay-ments.• A reduction in future profits may occur because of the loan repayment.• The business owner(s) will pay dollar for dollar plus interest.• The company’s credit may be adversely affected due to greater debt.

Option 3 – Insurance Purchasing life and/or disability in-surance on your key employees can be a cost-effective way to safe guard your business and minimize the impact of a key employee’s death or disability. Life insurance and/or disability insurance can provide your business with the following advantages:• Funding with insurance is easy to ad-minister.• Funds are available even if death or dis-ability occurs the day after coverage be-gins.• Although the premiums are not deduct-ible, the life insurance proceeds at death are generally received income tax-free to the business.

Funding the Future Plan The business applies for a life insur-ance policy on the life of a key employee. The business is the owner and beneficia-ry of the policy. As policyholder, the busi-ness pays premiums to an insurance company for the policy as long as the key employee is alive and an employee. Should an insured key employee die, the death benefit proceeds from the insur-ance policy would pass generally income tax-free to the business, providing an im-mediate cash source for debt repayment, liquidity, or other related concerns. Kirk G. Quaschnick, CLU, ChFC, ARPC, is the president and co-founder of Mogul Wealth Strategies, LLC in McKinney, TX. Since 1992, Kirk has helped his clients in fi-nancial, business, and estate planning, as well as financial advising, investment advi-sory and wealth management services to business owner executives and individuals. For additional information on the informa-tion or topic discussed, please contact Kirk at 214-420-7152, or email him at [email protected].

The HR to-do list just keepsgetting longerCyndi Mergele,, SPHR, SHRM-SCPPadgett Stratemann & Co.San Antonio, TX

It’s been a busy summer for employment law changes and there are more changes to come. In June, the U.S.

Supreme Court issued two significant rulings. The first confirmed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was finally (or at least for now) the law of the land. The second ruling recognized same sex marriages.

ACA Compliance. Employers who issue 250 or more W-2s are required to report the cost of employees’ healthcare insurance on the W-2. “Applicable large employers” (employers with 50 or more FTEs) will be required to complete, pro-vide to employees, and file Forms 1094 and 1095. Information must be reported for 2015 in early 2016.

FLSA. In July, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a proposed change to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The proposed change would re-quire employers to pay overtime to any employee who earns a salary of less than $50,440 per year. This could have signifi-cant impact on the construction industry, as it means, regardless of the work per-formed, an employee who is paid $24.24 per hour or less must be paid overtime.

On July 15, 2015, the DOL issued Ad-ministrator’s Interpretation 2015-1 provid-ing further guidance (and strong warn-ing) regarding the challenge of employ-ers continuing to misclassify employees as independent contractors. It is impor-tant to note this interpretation specifi-cally cites the construction industry in providing an example: “Example: A highly-skilled carpen-ter provides carpentry services for a con-struction firm; however, such skills are not exercised in an independent manner. For example, the carpenter does not make any independent judgments at the job site beyond the work that he is doing for that job; he does not determine the sequence of work, order additional mate-rials, or think about bidding the next job, but rather is told what work to perform and where to perform it. In this scenario, the carpenter, although highly-skilled tech-nically, is not demonstrating the skill and initiative of an independent contractor (such as managerial and business skills). He is simply providing his skilled labor. In contrast, a highly-skilled carpenter who provides a specialized service for a variety of area construction companies, for example, custom, handcrafted cabi-nets that are made-to-order, may be demonstrating the skill and initiative of an independent contractor if the carpenter markets his services, determines when to order materials and the quantity of mate-

rials to order, and determines which or-ders to fill.”

The interpretation also states that the DOL has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and a number of states (including Texas) to share informa-tion obtained in audits to insure compli-ance with DOL regulations. Companies need to carefully examine their indepen-dent contractor relationships to ensure compliance with IRS, DOL, and Texas Workforce Regulations. Misclassifying an employee as an independent contractor can cost an employer back wages for un-paid overtime and unpaid federal and state taxes. And, on Monday, Sept. 7, 2015, Presi-dent Obama issued an Executive Order Establishing Paid Sick Leave for Federal Contractors that will require federal con-tractors and subcontractors to provide seven days of paid sick leave per year to all employees. The Order states that af-fected employees must be permitted to earn no less than 56 hours of sick leave per year and can carry over any unused balance into the following year. The Sec-retary of Labor will issue regulations re-lated to this Order no later than Septem-ber 30, 2016. It will become effective for government contracts in 2017. As the HR to-do list continues to grow, it is important for construction companies to invest time and resources to ensure proactive compliance. While there is cost to proactive compliance (hir-ing a human resources professional, a hu-man resources consultant, or an employ-ment attorney), it is far less costly in terms of reputation, legal cost, back wag-es, taxes, and penalties.

Cyndi Mergele is the Senior Manager of Human Resources Consulting for Padgett Stratemann & Co., one of Texas largest, lo-cally-owned CPA and business advisory firms, with offices in San Antonio, Austin, and Houston. Cyndi assists clients with hu-man resources strategy, staffing and re-cruiting, policy and program development, merger and acquisition strategy, and solv-ing their most complex work force issues. For more information, please contact Cyndi at 210-828-6281 or [email protected].


The competent person inconfined space operationsJoann NatarajanCompliance Assistance SpecialistOSHAAustin, TX

Under the new confined space in con-struction, OSHA defines a competent

person to means one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable haz-ards in the surroundings or working con-ditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has the authorization to take prompt correc-tive measures to eliminate them. The competent person has a num-ber of duties under the new confined space in construction. The competent person must determine what confined spaces exist on the jobsite, which spaces are permit spaces, and evaluate the po-tential and actual hazards in the spaces that workers will enter. Final §1926.1203(a) requires each employer that has employees who may work in a confined space to ensure that a compe-tent person identifies all confined spaces on the site, and to determine, through initial testing as necessary, which of these spaces are permit spaces, and to consider and evaluate other elements of the con-fined space. Therefore, under §1926.1203(f) of this final rule, the entry employer must also ensure that a compe-tent person compile the information nec-essary to determine whether a reevalua-tion is necessary, and conduct the reeval-uation when necessary. The employer must ensure that a competent person performs a full reevaluation of the permit space before reclassifying the space. The competent person is require to be trained on their duties. The employer

must provide training to each employee whose work is regulated by this law, at no cost to the employee, and ensure that the employee possesses the understanding, knowledge, and skills necessary for the safe performance of the duties assigned under this standard. This training must result in an understanding of the hazards in the permit space and the methods used to isolate, control or in other ways protect employees from these hazards, and for those employees not authorized to perform entry rescues, in the dangers of attempting such rescues. Training re-quired must be provided to each em-ployee in both a language and vocabu-lary that the employee can understand, before the employee is first assigned du-ties under this standard, before there is a change in assigned duties, whenever there is a change in permit space entry operations that presents a hazard about which an employee has not previously been trained; and whenever there is any evidence of a deviation from the permit space entry procedures required by §1926.1204(c) or there are inadequacies in the employee’s knowledge or use of these procedures. The training must establish employ-ee proficiency in the duties required by this standard and must introduce new or revised procedures, as necessary, for compliance with this standard.

[email protected] x232

Tile tourSubmitted to Construction News

L-R: During the week of Sep. 14, Dallas-based luxury hard surface supplier Concept Surfaces conducted an inaugural “Titan Tour,” visiting some of D/FW’s top design and

architectural firms. Sales reps, including Maggie Curtis, Chris Hayes and Nova Torres, helped showcase the large format, 5 ft. by 10 ft. porcelain tile samples on two 22 ft.

flatbed trucks, at locations including Dallas’ Thanksgiving Park. –mjm

You’re insured against the big-ticket rip and tear damages, right?Stephanie O’Rourke, PrincipalCokinos, Bosien & YoungSan Antonio, TX

There is no question that the installation and subse-quent removal of defective work or product will

leave a mark. Such damage might be reasonably thought of as “physical injury” or “impaired.” However, if you are considering whether such damage might by covered by your insurance policy, the meaning of phrases such as “physical injury” and “impaired property” may not be so clear. In fact, the Fifth Cir-cuit has recently determined those phrases to be so ambiguous in the context of GCL policies as to require interpretation by the Supreme Court of Texas.

In U.S. Metals v. Liberty Mutual Group, 589 Fed. Appx. 659 (5th Cir. 2014), U.S. Metals supplied flanges to be used in non-road diesel facilities in Exxon refiner-ies. After the flanges were irreversibly welded into place, testing revealed the flanges were defective and did not meet the applicable industry standards. Exxon removed all 350 flanges and eventually settled with U.S. Metals for approximate-ly $6 million. Metals submitted the claim to Liberty Mutual Group, but Liberty de-nied the claim, arguing that the rip and tear damages were excluded by the poli-cy by the following standard exclusions: m. Damage to Impaired Property or Property Not Physically Injured; “Proper-ty damage” to “impaired property” or property that has not been physically in-jured, arising out of: A defect, deficiency, inadequacy, or dangerous condition in “your product” or “your work”; or A delay or failure by your or anyone acting on your behalf to perform a con-tract or agreement in accordance with its terms. This exclusion does not apply to the loss of use of other property arising out of sudden and accidental physical injury to “your product” or “your work” after it has been put to its intended use. The policy defined the term “im-paired property” as: 8. “Impaired property” means tangi-ble property, other than “your product” or “your work”, that cannot be used or is less useful because: It incorporates “your product” or “your work” that is known or thought to be defective, deficient, inadequate or dangerous; or You have failed to fulfill the terms of a contract or agreement; if such property can be restored to use by the repair, re-placement, adjustment or removal of “your product” or “your work” or your ful-filling the terms of the contract or agree-

ment. However, the policy did not define the terms "physical injury" or “replace-ment.” Noting the lack of controlling au-thority on the interpretation of these terms, the Fifth Circuit asked the Su-preme Court of Texas whether “physical injury” and “replacement” in the context of the “your product” and “impaired property” exclusions are ambiguous. Among other things, the Fifth Circuit asked “[D]oes ‘replacement’ of the in-sured’s defective product irreversibly at-tached to a third party’s product include the removal or destruction of the third party’s product?” In the past, injured insureds have at-tempted to avoid the exclusion by argu-ing that contrary to the requirements of the definition of “impaired property,” the property could not be restored to use by repair or replacement of the named in-sured’s product or work if it required con-siderable destruction of other property. Under the certified questions, the “rip and tear” associated with repair and re-placement of an integrated part will sim-ply be regarded as part of the excluded property damage to impaired property, rather than third party property, and may be excluded. Oral argument was heard by the Court on Sept. 9, 2015. Not surprisingly, numerous Amicus briefs have been filed to assist the court with its interpretation of these common exclusion terms. As rec-ognized by the Fifth Circuit, “The Texas Supreme Court’s interpretation of these terms will have far-reaching implications due to the commonality of these exclu-sions within CGL policies.” Stephanie O’Rourke is a principal of Cokinos, Bosien &Young, a full service law firm with offices in Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Austin. For more information on our services, please visit www.cbylaw.com

Thanks for sharing

Paying $700 for a rental drill that had a $350 price tag on it is what finally convinced Willy Schlacks to act on

an idea he’d been sitting on for a year. Schlacks and his brother Jabbok were toiling 14 ft. underground on a cold and miserable Midwest sewer job when they discovered they needed a core drill. The one-day rental turned to three, and upon returning the drill, he realized that he could have bought the drill for slightly more than it its rental cost. To add insult to injury, he would have to pay the rental fee before he could buy the drill at the full price. “At that point I said, “Okay, we’re starting that idea,” Willy says. The Schlacks brothers created EquipmentShare, a sharing platform that facilitates inexpensive peer-to-peer equipment rental and helps contractors profit from the equipment they aren’t us-ing. EquipmentShare handles the deliv-ery, maintenance, and insurance verifica-tion for each rental, offers payment pro-cessing and performs inspections of all ES Certified Equipment to cut down on equipment safety issues. They also pro-vide a complete fleet management plat-form for vehicles and equipment. Con-tractors can track everything including equipment they rent from Equipment-Share. “It’s the only platform in the world that lets you see your rented equipment right along side equipment and vehicles you own,” Willy says. The success of the Missouri-based company has allowed them to open a Dallas location this year. “North Texas is a very good market,” he explains. “There’s a lot of rental that

goes on, the prices are fairly high and there is a lot of excess inventory.” Because of that, the Schlacks want to help North Texas contractors improve their profit margin. “The average contractor just wants to help his bottom line,” he says. “Every-thing we do helps them with that. The Midwest is a smaller market than North Texas, but we consistently have contrac-tors that make $20,000 per month on equipment they’ve never used, and EquipmentShare takes care of every-thing.” EquipmentShare facilitates peer-to-peer equipment rental and offers manage-ment and maintenance of contractor fleets. –mjm

Willy Schlacks had an idea he felthe had to share.


They shoot, they score!

The final steel beam was lifted into place on Dallas’ new Texas Health Huguley Hospital Aug. 27. Designed and constructed by Dallas-based general contractor The Beck Group, the six-story, 234,300-sf facility will feature a new ground-floor public lobby, a women’s

services floor, C-section suites, labor and delivery rooms, 20 postpartum rooms, a nursery, three levels with medical/surgical units and 36 inpatient beds per floor. The project is

slated for completion in summer 2016. –mjm

Care-ful constructionSubmitted to Construction News

True BlueConstruction News ON LOCATION

L-R: The BlueLine Rental staff in Dallas is lining up to help customers withtheir construction equipment rental needs. –mjm

Team workSubmitted to Construction News

Stantec’s Dallas and Plano offices teamed up to give back during the company’s 3rd annual “Stantec in the Community Day” on Sep. 15. Fifty volunteers from the Plano

office cleaned up Coppell Nature Park, where the firm recently designed a Biodiversity Education Center. The Dallas office sent 20 volunteers to visit Crossroads Community

Services to sort clothing and assemble emergency boxes. –mjm

Fabulous weather and food cooked up by City Wide Mechanical and EyeSite Surveillance awaited 245

shooters who came to cut clay at Alpine Shooting Range on Aug. 21! The EMJ-sponsored 2015 annual Clay Shoot, hosted by the American Subcontractors Associa-tion (ASA)’s North Texas chapter, was di-vided into team, individual and Lewis Class prizes and featured grand prize raf-fles for a Benelli M2 Camo 12 gauge auto-matic shotgun, a Beretta A400 Xplor Unico Semi-Auto Shotgun and a Smith & Wesson M&P 45 Caliber - Earth Brown. –mjm

1st Place: Alecom Metal Works2nd: Anton Cabinetry3rd Place: Kennedale Mansfield Plumbing

Lewis Class I1st Place: Barrett Miller, Prime Controls2nd Place: Jason Garrett, Buyers Barri-cades3rd Place: Frank Tuttle, Texas Air SystemsLewis Class II1st Place: Gary McNeil, First Texas Risk Ad-visors

A clay to remember

1st Place winners Alecom Metal Works with the traveling trophy.

Lewis Class I 1st place winner Barrett Miller

Lewis Class II 1st Place winner Gary McNeil

Lewis Class III 1st Place winner Jimmy James

2nd Place: Jared Jones, Steele & Freeman3rd Place: Josh RivesaLewis Class III1st Place: Jimmy James, Holt Power Sys-tems2nd Place: Lee McFaul, Crimson Building Company 3rd Place: Charles Breault, Phillips Light-ing

TEXO, The Construction Association, took advantage of the slightly cool-er temperatures to get members

outside and networking! On Sep. 3, TEXO hosted its annual clay shoot, the fourth event of the TEXO Challenge Cup, at the Dallas Gun Club. Humphrey & Associates reigned victori-ous on the club’s Red Course with a score of 292, and Thompson Group Classic Chevrolet nabbed 1st place on the Green Course with a score of 339. Proceeds ben-efitted the TEXO Education and Research

Humphrey & Associates won first place on the Red Course at the clay shoot.

Foundation. TDIndustries played the part of chef at the association’s successful Impact networking event held Sep. 15 at TEXO’s Fort Worth offices. Not wanting the fun to end, the Young Constructor’s Council (YCC) held its September meeting for members the next day at the Globe Life Park in Arlington. –mjm

L-R: Climatec’ Chris Frye and Bryan Weidenbach at the impact fete.

L-R: Jeremie Rittileuchai of Rittileuchai Architecture PC and JE Dunn’s Lindsey

Eickman and Danny DiFeo work on a small group project at a YCC event.


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

FISHING AND HUNTING TRIPS

(361) 949-7359www.baffi nbaycharters.com

[email protected]

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

STEVE SCHULTZ OUTDOORS, LLC

In search ofwinter sowsby Capt. Steve Schultz

Sponsored by:Premier Yamaha Boating Center, Majek Boats, E-Z Bel Construction, Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor, Aggregate Haul-

ers, ForEverlast Hunting and Fishing Products and Columbia Sportswear.

Human nature seems to require most fishermen to try and make something happen before it’s re-

ally the ideal time. Getting a jump on post-fall and pre-winter sow trout seems to be a popular topic around the marinas and on the boat lately. Speckled trout, especially the larger trophy sized ones that populate the waters of the Laguna Madre and Baffin Bay, become one of the most sought after fish for lure chunking gurus in the area during the cooler months of the year. Typically, wade fishing is the norm when searching for trophy specks along the shallow shorelines of our bay system. However there are areas that are not fea-sible for wading and must be accessed

from the boat. There are also many of my clients that simply will not get out of the boat under any circumstances for any fish, and I’m fine with that. I like fishing out of a boat as much as anybody, but if you really want to have a good chance at catching the fish of a lifetime, wading is one of the best ways to do it. Even though one of the biggest trout I’ve ever caught came out of the boat this year in the Landcut. Preparation is key when wade fish-ing. I will start with what I think is one of

Michael Rodriguez of San Antonio hooked up on the 28-inch redfish last weekon a fishing outing with Steve Schultz Outdoors.

the most important aspects of your trip. Wading apparel is very important when fishing out of the boat and I don’t cut corners when selecting it. A good set of waders and wading jacket is a must when bailing over the side of your boat. After all, how can you concentrate on your fishing if you’re cold, wet and not con-fortable. I prefer Simms wading gear simply because they are the best. Stay-ing dry is key to staying warm so avoid the bargain bins for these items. A good working rod and reel is just as important

as your apparel. Having problem with your reel early in the morning can sure be frustrating when your buddies are hooked up beside you. I recommend spooling your reels with 30# braid and using a 30# fluorocarbon leader for fish-ing the rocks in Baffin Bay. A good pair of polarized sunglasses is a must for seeing on the water. Most anglers have these already, but if you don’t, invest in a quali-ty pair instead of the Bill Dance economy ones. And finally, don’t forget about your feet. There is a wide selection of wading boots available on the market. Make sure you size them accordingly to fit over waders or neoprene socks. As I prepare my wade box for the day, I make sure I have all the bases cov-ered. Winter fishing requires a slower presentation and a smaller offering. Top Pups and Spook Jr’s are at the top of the list. Your favorite soft plastic should be readily available with either a 1/16 oz or 1/8 oz jig head. Another bait that I always carry and is the one that gets the most press is the original Corky and Corky Fat Boy. These hard to come by baits are top producers of trophy trout during winter months. Other lures I add to the arsenal are the Mirr-O-lure Pro-MirrOdine. These are proven favorites of mine and I seldom leave the boat with out them. Fall marks the start of a new fishing season with fewer boats on the water and less pressure in your favorite fish spots. Come down and enjoy the cooler weather and some of the best fishing Texas has to offer. To schedule your next bay fishing trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-813-3716 or 361-334-3105 or e-mail him at SteveSchultzOutdoors @ gmail .com. Good luck and Good Fishing.

Bryan Garvey has designs on desert racing. The Corbet Design + Build CEO has participated in multiple international races and was the first American in 37 years to finish the prestigious DAKAR Rally on a first attempt and take a podium position. He

recently finished third in his class and 21st overall in the Cortez Rallyand NORRA Mexican 1000. –mjm

Makes his heart race SEND IN YOUR PHOTOS . . .fishing, hunting, skiing,

biking, racing, orany outdoor activity or sport.


Half or Full Day Fishing Trips

All Bait, Tackle & EquipmentFurnished

Your catch Filleted andBagged for You

Furnish your TPWD FishingLicense & Refreshments,

and WE DO THE REST!

Ken Milam Guide Service

(325) 379-2051

www.striperfever.com

Ken Milam’s Fishing LineSince 1981, Ken Milam has been guiding fishing trips for striped bass on Lake Buchanan in the Texas Hill Country,. You can hear Ken on radio on Saturday and Sunday mornings, 6-8

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

I know you are awfully busy with work and family and now it’s getting to be hunting season, but you need to pay

attention to this proposed amendment to the Texas Constitution. We need to protect our right to hunt and fish in Texas from outside pressure from the Federal government or anyone else to restrict or remove our current privileges. Don’t just take my word for it. Check it out for yourself. A good place to start for just the facts is: http://ballotpedia.org/Texas_Right_to_Hunt,_Fish_and_Harvest_Amendment,_Proposition_6_(2015) I always encourage people to get outside and bring their kids out to hunt or fish or camp and hike. We have an ob-ligation to pass our love for the outdoors down to our young people. Already we have seen a decrease in people enjoying our state and national park resources. Fewer and fewer hunting and fishing li-censes are being sold to people under the age of 40. Without the revenue gen-erated by our participation, access to the great outdoors will dwindle. Outdoor equipment retailers are concerned with

this trend too. The worst part of this is the decline in the number of people who understand the importance of outdoor life to our own health, happiness and

well-being. That is why this state consti-tutional amendment is so important. We have finally come to a time when the people who are coming to power in our

Protect our right to hunt and fish in

Texas! Vote “yes” forProposition 6 on

November 3

society and our government may not have enough of a connection to the out-doors to understand the impact of the changes they want to implement. Our existence and the very heritage of our county have been built upon our ability to procure food for our families and pass the knowledge of hunting and fishing down to the next generation. In more recent times it has been the effort and money spent by sportsmen that have paved the way for research and con-servation of the fish, animals and habitat we so cherish. We understand important role we must play to preserve the bounty we have been given, and harvesting game is an important and necessary tool to prevent overpopulation and disease in animals as well as providing our families with a safe, healthy alternative to pro-cessed meats, (and it tastes better too). When you get right down to it, I hate to think what would happen to our peo-ple if the lights go out a couple of genera-tions down the line from losing our right and opportunity to hunt and fish. If for no other reason, the knowledge of how to sustain ourselves and the right to do it should be protected. Please make the effort to go and vote on this very important issue! So of-ten we tend to overlook things like amendments in the grand scheme of things. Then further down the line we find where something has become law that we don’t approve of – simply be-cause we didn’t take the time to vote and a bunch of busy bodies did vote it in. Vote for Proposition 6 in the Nov. 3, 2015 election and let your voice be heard!

‘40s fishing family

Have an outdoor photo or story you’d like to share?

Send to:

[email protected] or call Melissa at 817.731.4823


Catching up on fishing

IBTX Risk Services’ Michael Hendrick-son and City Wide Mechanical’s Brad

Baylis fished the late July run of Chinook salmon in the Columbia River. Fishing near the Astoria Mengler Bridge out of a 30’ aluminum river sled with pro guide Jeff Keithley, both Hendrickson and Baylis quickly limited on these salmon returning for their summer spawn. Salmon wasn’t their only success, however; both fisher-men were also able to land (and catch and release) sturgeon up to 75lbs. –mjm L-R: Baylis and pro guide Jeff Keithley show

off a sturgeon.

Michael Hendrickson Brad Baylis

It was a day full of dove for Dallas’ ABC Supply Co. inc.

as they held their annual dove hunt in Haslet on Sep.1. Before the bullets started fly-ing, hunters were treated to breakfast and a gorgeous sunrise to kick off the event and the season. –mjm

Dovetale

L-R: ABC Supply Co. inc.’s commercial

purchasing manager Kevin English and

sales representative Raymond Mendoza

Mag Builders’Matt Campbell and

his fiancée Reyna pose with the

group’s total birds for the day.


CAN they stay standing?A maximum of 12 hours allowed to build it. Only five builders working at a time. A 10ft. by 10ft. by 10 ft.

size limit. Judging by the results, the Fort Worth teams obviously “can” abide by the rules set forth for the 2015 CANstruc-tion competition without letting it hinder their creativity. Architects, engineers, de-signers, contractors and businesses con-structed canned-food creations that defy gravity, using a lot of tape, Velcro, mag-nets, rubber bands, tubes, blood, sweat and prayers to make the structures stand and stay together! Eight teams used a total of 30,000 lbs. of food, although one team’s struc-ture sadly surrendered to gravity, col-lapsed and had to be canned from the competition. Still, their efforts and those of the other teams helped raise aware-ness of – and put an end to – hunger. The structures are on display at the State Fair of Texas’s Science Building until Oct. 18, when the People’s Choice winner will be announced. The event was sponsored by the So-ciety for Design Administration and the American Institute of Architects. –mjm

Best Meal: “Let Hunger Be Buried”;Hahnfeld Hoffer Stanford

Structural Integrity: “Millau US to Help End Hunger”; Dunaway Associates

Honorable Mention: “Architectural Marvels”; VLK

Best Use of Labels: “All In” on Hunger; Huitt Zollars

Juror’s Favorite: “We CAN Rise Above Hunger”; Level 5 Design

“Ending Hunger Across The State of Texas … Our Passport – One Can at a Time”

Tarrant County College – South Campus4,248 cans

“Strike Back Against Hunger”Jacobs

600 cans

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What is your biggest pet peeve?

In tune for six decades

I know exactly what it is: People who don’t use their blinkers. That’s huge. I think it’s an option in Texas – when you get the car, you get to choose whether you want it or not.

Jeff Bucknam, D&H Fueling Solutions

Right now, my biggest pet peeve is when my wife doesn’t break down boxes when she puts them in the recycle bin. It’s openly addressed every week when I empty the recycle bin!

Chip McDaniel, Bell & McCoy

Drivers driving in the wrong lane.Jeff Riestenberg, AFC

People asking the same question more than once. Every day. When someone asks you something then comes right back the next day and asks the same thing that you just showed him yesterday – that’s one of my big pet peeves.

Kevin Hubbard, Graybar Electric

People who don’t have any respect for you on the highway – that is a big pet peeve for me. Road rage is real!

Patrick Bierle, Legrand

Slow technology. Any internet provider is the devil! They all say you’re going to get fast internet – and it is the highest bill you pay – and you sit there watching the wheel spin.

Willy Schlacks, EquipmentShare

When people don’t use their blinkers and when people are driving below the speed limit in the left lane.

Cody Sears, Elliott Electric Supply

Fans giving up on the Cowboys because of a couple of injuries.

Brandon Stewart,Southwest Demolition Services

The potholes in Dallas. I was driving I-35 yesterday and it was like I was driving in a third-world country!

Ben Gromatzky, C-CAP

With what I do every day, and visiting customers, my biggest pet peeve is the traffic, every day.Doug Kahle, Lone Star Safety & Supply

Anytime dishes clink together, I hate that. I don’t let anyone put the dishes away because the bowls and plates will clink together. I will go into my room and turn up the music so I don’t have to hear it if I can’t put the dishes away myself.

Natalie Santin, Eco Chief Products

I’m a clean freak; I hate clutter.Jordan Hansen,

Parrish-Hare Electrical Supply

Someone not putting the toothpaste cap back on and then the toothpaste gets hard.

Eric Hernandez,Independent Insurance Group

Music City was the setting for women in construc-tion to hit all of the right networking notes Sept. 2-5. The National Association of Women in

Construction (NAWIC) hosted its 60th annual Meeting and Education Conference in Nashville, TN, bringing to-gether South Central Region chapters to celebrate the harmony of their unique sisterhood. Highlights of the “Sounds of Success” event, held at the Omni Hotels and Resorts, included a mini trade show, an installation luncheon, meetings, seminars and workshops and an awards gala. Some members also took part in some sightseeing in Tennessee’s capital, in-cluding catching a Dwight Yoakam concert at Ryman Auditorium and visiting Nashville’s famed eateries. Some chapters chose to celebrate NAWIC’s 60th year in their own special way. The Dallas chapter even dressed all in red and donned birthday hats for one event. One special highlight for the Fort Worth chapter was that one of its own, Dena Rowland, was installed as the South Central Region Director. “What a privilege and honor it is to be installed as the South Central Region Director and I am so excited to work directly with the 16 chapters covering Texas, Okla-homa, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee,” Rowland says. –mjm

The Fort Worth chapter at the NAWIC gala.

L-R: Laurel Wesson, Maryanne Doss, Francine Hawkins-Alegeh, Jennifer Van Breda, Kim Gibbons, Ann McCullough

and Wanda Bledsaw at the gala.

Back row, L-R: Maryanne Doss, Kim Gibbons, (seated) Ann McCullough and Jennifer VanBreda toured the Ryman

Auditorium on a free evening.

Fort Worth chapter members find out why Nashville is called “Music City.”

(Back row, l-r): Maryanne Doss, Jennifer VanBreda, Ann McCullough, Laurel Wesson, Wanda Bledsaw, Tulsa chapter

member Kim Gibbons; (seated) Brigetta D’Olivio and Francine Hawkins-Alegeh celebrating in red shirts and

birthday hats at the welcome party.

Installation luncheon

L-R: NAWIC South Central Region director Jennifer M. Swinney and executive vice president Dede Hughes

I’m from New York so I have a lot of them. Lack of enthusiasm in life in general. The total lack of appreciation that we were given the gift of another day.Leslye Hernandez, Construction News

People who do not R.S.V.P. Deana Butorac, NUCA North Texas


Priming the pump

Fuel System construction has met its match: D&H United Fueling Solu-tions Inc. recently purchased the

assets of D&H Petroleum and Environ-mental and United Pump Supply. The companies will be combined and known as D&H United Fueling Solutions Inc. D/FW branch manager Adam Cole-man says change in the economy and the emphasis on alternative fuels such as CNG and LNG, as well as the new manda-tory incoming payment card system (“EMV”) requirements, created a need for the purchase. “It became apparent over the last couple of years that if we were going to grow, that we need to be in a different structure because the fuel equipment and construction landscape has changed and is continuing to change,” he says. While the existing branch manage-ment teams will stay in place, staff is al-ready growing and two notable changes in leadership took place with the acquisi-tion. The former president of the compa-ny, John Farrell, has been named the chief operating officer and Bo Sasnett is now serving as the company’s chief ex-

ecutive officer. “Our operations will probably change in terms of the emphasis, be-cause those specialty skillsets that the industry is looking for now, we have those available here and within our own company – now our expertise is available all over the Southwest,” Coleman says. “People are going to ask us for it, and cer-tainly customers from other areas of Tex-as are going to be involved in that.” Coleman says the news has been a boost to the contracts they’re winning and their reputation in the industry. “I was telling my staff how proud I am that our Dallas branch has basically evolved,” he says. “We still do the core things, like the ground-up fuel builds, but now we’re into these specialty areas like designing for credit card fraud preven-tion as well. It’s nice being the go-to peo-ple for that kind of thing.” D&H United Fueling Solutions Inc. pro-vides services for fueling facilities including equipment sales, installation and construc-tion, repair and service across the South-west. –mjm

L-R: Construction administrator April Siddens, construction manager Jeff Bucknam and D/FW branch manager Adam Coleman

Contractor personnel “trenched” their thirst for knowledge recently at the NUCA OSHA live trench

training. The event represented a collab-oration of National Utility Contractor As-sociation (NUCA)’s North Texas chapter,

Entrenched in learning

Participants rotated through six stations.

OSHA Region VI Dallas and Fort Worth offices and the city of Coppell. Held Sep. 18 at the Coppell Farmers Market Pavilion and surrounding fields, the event began with Texas 811 presenting “Damage Pre-vention.” Participants then broke into groups and rotated through six stations. The training closed with a lunch, a panel discussion and the signing of the NUCA/OSHA Alliance. “NUCA is pleased to have been able to collaborate with OSHA to create out-door training with full-scale trench, road-way and confined space stations,” Alex Kocher, president of NUCA of Texas’s North Texas chapter says. “This environ-ment allowed both OSHA and contractor personnel to ask questions of government and industry experts relevant to the real world scenarios presented. We look for-ward to working cooperatively with OSHA to provide future events of this caliber and ultimately to improve the safety of the un-derground utility industry.” –mjm

The event was collaboration between NUCA’s North Texas chapter and OSHA.


Specialty Contractors

Wage hikes, start-upsaffect business

Jared Moala, Partner Pacific Environmental Group LLCDallas, TX

Has your company experienced an increase in business or a slow-

down? We’ve definitely experienced an in-crease, especially in asbestos abatement. We’ve been getting a lot more calls from general contractors that are working on municipal projects that need abatement. To be honest, we’ve had to hire more of-fice and field personnel to handle the in-crease in the workload. I don’t know that we’ve done anything different; we’ve just expanded, hiring more people to handle more projects. Many companies in the industry are challenged by a shortage of qualified labor. Has that been true for your company as well? Yes, especially this past summer. The biggest abatement project to ever go on in D/FW is D/FW Airport, which they’ve been doing for the past few years. There were about 300 abatement workers out there. There is a huge shortage of abate-ment workers, so companies have start-

ed to work with each other in sharing the labor pools. I’ve been doing this for 12 years, and actually have gotten to know competitors much better this year than ever before. We had to share the labor pool back and forth and also subcontract with oth-er companies when things got so heavy over the summer. Summer is the time when all of the kids get out of school and all of the school districts do their abate-ment. You have millions of dollars of abatement over the summer going on in D/FW just for the school districts, and they really don’t do any abatement at all during the school year. It was a tight time because we had that summer rush which happens every year but we had it on top of the population boom that we’re expe-riencing that’s causing all of the con-struction in the area.

Are there any major changes in your industry related to what you do? There haven’t been any recent major changes related to my industry in D/FW,

but there is concern that abatement su-pervisors are leaving companies and starting their own companies, but the quality of work is just not there. There has been an explosion in abatement compa-nies in D/FW. There were maybe a hand-ful of companies that everyone knew about a few years ago, but now there are so many start-up companies. The most frustrating part is when they are called out to a bid; they really low-ball it in their hunger to get work. The funny thing is, there is still the same core group of com-panies that are doing all of the reputable work – the school districts, the city work, the general contractors – and then you have 30 new abatement companies that no one has heard of. We have been get-ting a lot of calls to come in and “clean up” these new companies’ messes; it’s very common now, whereas 10 years ago you just didn’t see that. I’ve been doing this for 12 years, my brother John has been doing it for 16 and our Dad, William Moala, was one of the pioneers in abate-ment 30 years ago. This has been the big-gest change I’ve seen lately.

Have you noticed any cost increases related to what you do? Yes, the cost in labor has significantly increased because of simple supply and

demand. Because the labor pool is so tight, these guys demand a premium. For the past decade, abatement workers have made about $12 an hour, which was the standard. I’d say the standard now is about $15 an hour, but that just jumped in the last year or two. In the summer-time, that goes up to about $20 an hour. It’s significant when you have 20 guys working a job for a month; it’s a huge cost increase not just for us but for the cli-ent as well.

How have you been meeting this chal-lenge? Profit margins have definitely be-come smaller across the board, which is common in any industry following an in-crease in competition. Some of the in-creased labor cost is absorbed by the contractor because they have to stay as competitive as possible on bids. But ulti-mately, when everyone has to pay that upcharge in labor costs, it has to be fac-tored into bids and the buyer ends up paying for it as well. Pacific Environmental offers asbestos abatement and testing, mold remediation and testing, lead-based paint (LPB) abate-ment, flood response and demolition ser-vices. –mjm

The pre-school-year crunch

Mark Eichelbaum, Vice President and COOCram RoofingSan Antonio, TX

During the summer, school work keeps the construction industry busy. As

soon as kids get out for the summer in early June, contractors move in, and as soon as kids go back in late August, con-tractors have to finish and clear out. Mark Eichelbaum, Cram Roofing, says that it takes coordination and the ef-forts of the team to get jobs done before the kids come back for the new academic year. He adds that parents and teachers, and sometimes even owners, might not realize what goes into making the school beautiful for when they get back. If there is still minor work to be done, some only see that the roof isn’t done and the impression can be that the con-tractors had all summer to do it. “A lot of the time, we’ll be substan-tially complete – in other words, the roof is on and there may be some details still to be done or punch list items to be done,” explains Eichelbaum. “Those we can still do after the kids are back, but we have to work around the school sched-ule. So, we may not be able to start until 4 o’clock in the afternoon after kids have

gone home for the day. It requires a lot more coordination.” He also points out that there is a lot of steps and juggling that goes on during the summer reroofing season. The sum-mertime construction period is generally about 10 weeks. On the small side, some projects in that period might be repair projects around $5,000 to $10,000, or they are hired to do the flashing for a new AC unit. Such a project might require a crew of two to three guys for two to three days. On the larger end of the scale, they might be reroofing an entire wing of a school, which might be 300,000sf of roof-ing. Those projects might require a crew of about eight guys working six days a week for nine weeks. The various projects over the course of just 10 weeks can run everywhere in between those two extremes. On aver-age, Eichelbaum says their reroofing projects have a crew of six to eight guys, depending on the job, and it might be 15,000 to 20,000sf of roofing surface that is being re-covered. Those projects might take about

four to five weeks, but they might also begin the project with the idea that it will be done by the end of June and then they will move on to the next one. How-ever, if it rains – which it did to an unusual degree this June – that can push the en-tire schedule back. Sometimes, the general contractor might not be ready for the roofers to come in and do their work. In that case, they might not be ready on one building and have the roofer work on another building first, but that other building might require a different crew. “It’s a lot of moving pieces, and the general public may not necessarily real-ize that,” he says. “There are all types of different roofing systems, and we inter-nally have different crews for the differ-ent kinds of roofs that specialize in those areas. The general public may just say, ‘I just need a roof.’ But it’s a metal roof, and we want to send you our metal roofer. If it’s a singly-ply roof, we want to send you our single-ply roofer. “If it’s through a general contractor and you throw in all the other specialty trades – well, we can’t flash an AC unit un-til the AC unit has been put in place by the HVAC contractor, and if the HVAC contractor gets pushed because of weather or one of their other projects or the materials haven’t been approved yet – they go through the same process [with submittals] that we do – that can affect our piece of the puzzle.” Delays can also happen regardless of months of advanced planning. When Cram is working directly for the school district, they bid on those projects in Jan-uary or February, even though they can’t

start until June. Knowing the job is coming up, they do all their preparatory work in the spring-time. A lot of times, the clients specify what type of roof they want, and Cram finds out what color the principal or dis-trict representative wants and other minor details. The submittal package goes to a consultant or the clients’ architect or de-sign professional for approval. Once ap-proved, Cram can order the materials. Sometimes, however, Eichelbaum notes that June comes and they cannot begin, despite being ahead of the game. As examples of reasons why, he says they might not be able to start fabricating the metal because the client hasn’t chosen a color, or they haven’t received their ap-proved submittals so they do not know what to order. With all of these issues factoring into a two-and-a-half month work schedule, Cram might only have two or three proj-ects in a summer, but this summer, Eichelbaum explains it was triple that many projects. With a very wet June to contend with, the trademark South Texas heat, and all of the aforementioned problems that may arise, Eichelbaum says their an-swer is to put in that much more over-time or manpower to meet the deadlines for completion. Cram Roofing was established in 1986 by Gary Cram, who is still owner and presi-dent of the company today. Having recently celebrated his 13th year with the company, Mark Eichelbaum is vice president and COO. The roofing contractor does commer-cial and governmental work. –mh


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Architecture & Engineering

Regular session of the 84th Texas Legislature

Mike WhiteTexas Construction AssociationAustin, TX

The 84th Texas Legislature completed its Regular Session on June 1, 2015.

The Texas construction industry will ben-efit from the passage of the following bills:

Consolidated Insurance Programs (CIPs) – SB 1081 Effective Jan. 1, 2016, principals of a CIP will be required to provide certain in-formation about the CIP to a contractor who is to be enrolled in the CIP not later than 10 days before the date the contrac-tor enters into a construction contract. This information will allow the contractor to compare the coverage provided by the CIP to the contractor’s own insurance and will allow the contractor to make an informed decision on whether to enter into the construction contract. In addi-tion, a contractor may request in writing from the principal a complete copy of the insurance policy that provides coverage under the CIP.

State Budget - HB 1 The state budget for the biennium beginning Sept. 1, 2015 appropriated just under $1 billion for construction of new state buildings. In addition, approximate-ly $630 million was appropriated for de-ferred maintenance projects at state fa-cilities. This became effective Sept. 1, 2015.

Higher Education Revenue Bonds - HB 100 This bill authorizes certain higher education institutions across the state to issue $3.1 billion in revenue bonds to fund 64 construction projects over the next two years. This became effective Sept. 1, 2015.

Pre-Litigation Requirements for Con-do Owners’ Associations in Defect Cases- HB 1455 This new law restricts condominium unit owners’ associations in condomini-

ums that have eight or more units from filing lawsuits or initiating arbitration proceedings to resolve a claim relating to the construction or design of a unit on behalf of all of the owners unless they first obtain an inspection and written in-dependent, third-party report that iden-tifies and describes the condition of the specific units or common elements that are subject to the claim and obtain ap-proval from unit owners holding more than 50 percent of the total votes in the association at a regular, annual or special meeting. This law became effective Sept. 1, 2015.

Public-Private Partnerships - HB 2475 In 2011, legislation was passed that established a process for governmental entities to contract with private entities to construct, finance, and operate a vari-ety of facilities, including ports, pipelines, parking garages, hospitals, schools, and other public works projects. State high-ways were not included. Performance and payment bonds are required to be in place before the start of any public-pri-vate partnership project. The new law establishes a center for alternative finance and procurement within the Texas Facilities Commission to consult with governmental entities re-garding best practices for procurement and financing of qualifying public-private

partnership projects and to assist gov-ernmental entities in the receipt of pro-posals, negotiation of interim and com-prehensive agreements, and manage-ment of qualifying public-private part-nership projects. The creation of the center is intend-ed to increase the use of public-private partnerships by Texas governmental en-tities. This law became effective Sept. 1, 2015.

Construction Manager-At-Risk Used by a Governmental Entity - HB 2634 This measure amends the Govern-ment Code to remove the exception to a prohibition against a governmental enti-ty’s project architect or engineer serving, alone or in combination with another person, as the construction manager-at-risk. The new law is intended to eliminate conflicts of interest in certain govern-mental construction contracting. This law became effective Sept. 1, 2015. Mike White, vice president of govern-mental affairs, is a graduate of Texas A&M University and received a law degree from the University of Houston. White came to TCA in 2010 with thirty years of diversified responsibilities in governmental and public affairs arenas for two major multi-national corporations, a public agency, and a busi-ness organization. –cw

What do you do on a daily basis at Las-co Acoustics & Drywall? I am the safety director at the Austin office but I also travel to work in Dallas and San Antonio. I train our guys on how to work safe on a daily basis and I provide bilingual training because I can speak both Eng-lish and Spanish. I oversee projects and I make sure the crew have what they need to com-plete the job.

What is your perspective about the lo-cal construction industry? I think things are still booming. There are lots of construction projects going up in Austin and around the state. The economy is still doing well this year.

Safety first priority at Lasco

Juan Mendoza, Safety DirectorLasco Acoustics & Drywall Inc. Austin, TX

What are a few challenges you have seen in your industry lately? The biggest challenge I have seen is finding qualified workers to get the job done. The wages for construction workers have increased because there is not a lot of man power. We have very competitive wages. It is not just us, other companies in the area do, too. Laborers have various backgrounds and have experience working in land-scaping, cleaning companies and other construction related businesses. We have programs where we teach our employees how to install drywall cor-rectly. Training is essential.

Most of the training we do is in-house; however, sometimes when we are required to have a specific training on specific equipment, we call the providers and have them do the training for us.

In your opinion, what are ways to at-tract new laborers into the construc-tion industry? We have placed ads in newspapers and we announce job openings within our company. We also have employees refer us to their friends and family members who may want to work at the company. What is rewarding about your job? I have worked in this industry for al-most 20 years. This is what I know. I start-ed out working in the field with my tools. I worked my way up over the past 15 years I have worked at Lasco Acoustics & Drywall. My favorite part of the job is training new employees and keeping our em-ployees safe. At the end of the day, when I see the

workers are going home the same way they left in the morning, it is rewarding to know that they are going to go back to their families and see their children. That is my biggest joy.

What do you think is on the horizon for your industry? I think things will keep booming for a few more years. The construction industry is cyclical, so eventually in about three or four years we won’t have as much work as we do right now. I think things may be steady for a while and things might go down a little bit. We might be building enough homes and buildings right now but even-tually the rise in the population will de-mand us to build more.Lasco Acoustics & Drywall Inc. provides dry-wall, acoustics and plastering in the com-mercial construction industry. The compa-ny has a corporate office in Dallas and also has offices in Austin and San Antonio. –ab


Round-Up Association CalendarContent submitted by Associations to Construction News

AACAAmerican Asian Contractors Assn. of Tx.

Oct. 15: 2015 Anuual awards luncheon

AIA - DallasAmerican Institute of Architects

Oct. 7: 2015 Built Design Awards An-nouncement Celebration, Perot Museum of Nature and Science, 2201 N. Field St., Dallas, 7pmOct. 22: DCFA: ROCKITECTURE, The Carl-isle Room- Lone Star Gas LoftsOct. 29: 2015 Ken Roberts Memorial De-lineation Competition Announcement and Panel, 6pm

AIA - Fort WorthAmerican Institute of Architects

Oct. 8: Sporting Clay Classic and Barbe-cue Cook-Off, Acme Brick Shooting Range, Brock, TX.Oct. 20: Design awards presentation and guest lecture, Modern Art Museum, 3200 Darnell St., Fort Worth, 5:30pmOct. 28: 12th Annual Topping Out Net-working Event and Awards Program, The Empire Room, 1225 N. Riverfront Blvd., Dallas, 5:30pm

ASCE - DallasAmerican Society of Civil Engineers

Oct. 12: Dallas branch meeting, 11am

ASCE – Fort WorthAmerican Society of Civil Engineers

Oct. 15: TSPE Young Engineer’s Leader-ship Forum, Chimy’s, 1053 Foch St., Fort Worth, 2pm

ASA North TexasAmerican Subcontractors Association

Oct. 19: 34th Annual Golf Classic, Bear Creek Golf Club, 3500 Bear Creek Ct., Dal-las, 12pm shotgun start, 5pm dinner and presentations

ASSE – Southwest ChapterAmerican Society of Safety Engineers

Oct. 12: Chapter meeting, Boy Scouts National Office, 1325 W. Walnut Hill Ln., Irving

CSI - Fort WorthConstruction Specifications Institute

Oct. 13: Meeting, Pappas Burger, 2700 West Fwy., Fort Worth, 5:30pm

FEDOTFire Equipment Distributors of TX

Oct. 9: 1st Benefit Golf Tournament for Children-Burn Care at Shriners Hospitals, Plum Creek Golf Course, 750 Kohler’s Crossing, Kyle, TX, 11:30am registration, 1pm shotgun start, raffles & contests, din-ner/awards to follow, for more info: www.fedot.org

ICRI Int’l Concrete Repair Institute

Oct. 14-16: 2015 Fall Convention, Hilton Fort Worth, 815 Main Street

IEC - DallasIndependent Electrical Contractors

Oct. 14: General membership meeting, IEC Dallas office, 1931 Hereford Drive, Ir-ving, 11:30amOct. 21-24: National convention, Tampa, FL

IEC - Fort Worth Independent Electrical Contractors

Oct. 5: Fall golf tournament, Waterchase Golf Club, 8951 Creek Run Road, Fort Worth, 7am registration, 8am tee time

NARI - DallasNat’l Assn. of the Remodeling Industry

Oct. 13: Monthly meeting, TBK Show-room/Pittman Plumbing, 6pm

NAWIC - DallasNat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

Oct. 19: MCM Elegante Hotel, 2330 West Northwest Hwy., Dallas, 5pm

NAWIC - Fort WorthNat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

Oct. 15: Meeting, Diamond Oaks Coun-try Club, 5821 Diamond Oaks Drive North, Fort Worth, 5:30pm

NTRCAN. Tx Roofing Contractors Assn.

Oct. 1: Annual Clay Shoot, Dallas Gun Club, 8:30amOct. 14: Lunch and Learn, International Bowling Museum Arlington, 621 Six Flags Dr., Arlington, 11:30am

NUCANational Utility Contractors Assn.

Oct. 26: Golf Tournament

PDCAPainting & Decorating Contractors of Amer.

Oct. 8: Happy hour sponsored by PPGOct. 16: Raymond Harkins Striper Fishing TournamentOct. 28: Annual membership meeting

PHCC Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors

Oct. 15: Chili Cook-Off, Hugh M. Cun-ningham Companies, 2029 Westgate, Ste. 120, Dallas

PMI- DallasProject Management Institute

Oct. 15: Meeting, Crowne Plaza North Dallas/Addison, 14315 Midway Rd., Addi-son, 6:30pm

RBCARegional Black Contractors Assn.

Oct. 16: Year End Celebration, Most Wor-shipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Texas, 3433 Martin Luther King Fwy., Fort Worth, 7pm

RHCARegional Hispanic Contractors Assn.

Oct. 30: 9th Annual Luna Awards & RHCA Women’s Business Conference, Omni Ho-tel, Dallas

SEAoTStructural Engineer Assn. of Tx.

Oct. 22-23: State Conference, Hilton North Hotel, Houston

TEXOThe Construction Association

Oct. 24: Tailgate, Chili Cook-Off and BBQ Cook-Off and YCC Washer Tournament, 2500 Fairway Dr. #1, Grapevine, 7am

TGA/NTDTexas Glass Assn./NGA Chapter

Oct. 19: 26th Annual Golf Tournament, Twin Creeks Golf Club, 501 Twin Creeks Dr., Allen, noon shotgun start

TSPSTexas Society of Professional Surveyors

Oct. 8-11: 64th Annual Convention and Tech Expo, Sheraton Dallas Hotel, 400 North Olive St., Dallas, 10am

UMCAUnited Masonry Contractors Assn.

Oct. 9: Fall Golf Tournament & Auction, Cowboys Golf Club

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

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

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

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

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Skanska USA announces the following:

Tony Destefano is promoted to senior director and human resources hub lead-er for the central United States re-gion. With the com-pany since 2006, he will serve on the HR/communications leadership team and will be responsible for HR in TX, IN, LA, NC, OH, SC, TN and VA. He earned his bache-lor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Marquette University and his mas-ter’s degree in engineering management from Oklahoma State University.

Cliff Haehl joins the company as vice president of business develop-ment for Texas. With more than 30 years of experience in the construction industry, he will be responsible for leading Skanska’s sales strategy. He earned his bachelor’s degree in corpo-rate communications for the University of Texas at Austin.

Richardson-based Hill & Wilkinson General Contrac-tors has promoted Paul Paris, LEED AP, to vice president of project develop-ment. Paris, who began his construc-tion career with the company in 1998 as a project engineer, will be responsible for developing sales and estimates while overseeing institu-tional projects through design and pre-construction. Paris earned his bachelor of environmental design degree from Texas A&M University.

Planning, engineer-ing and program management firm Lockwood, An-drews & Newnam Inc. (LAN) an-nounces Gary R. Bouthillier, PE, has joined as its direc-tor of aviation. Bouthillier brings 20 years of experience to his role and previously led Jacobs Engi-neering’s Fort Worth aviation group. He will be responsible for providing business development support and directing the firm’s aviation projects throughout the United States.

JQ announces the relocation of Carlo N. Taddei, PE LEED AP, to the firm’s Fort Worth office. In his new leadership role as principal, he is re-sponsible for office operations, client interaction, consult-ing and review of projects from inception through construction. Taddei, who joined JQ in 2004, has more than 13 years of ex-perience working on diverse projects and holds a Master of Engineering in civil en-gineering and Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Texas A&M University.

Certified public ac-counting firm Lane Gorman Trubitt PLLC (LGT) an-nounces the pro-motion of Jon Wel-lington, Juris Doc-tor and tax expert, to principal of state and local tax. Wel-lington has served more than 17 years working as a licensed attorney, with nine years dedicated to public accounting with several national firms.

Fort Worth-based Speed Fab-Crete has appointed Brad Bloxom as assistant project manager. Bloxom, a recent graduate of the Uni-versity of Mississip-pi with a Bachelor of Science in Inte-grated Marketing Communications, rep-resents the third generation to join the 64-year-old construction company and will be responsible for assisting in the overall management of projects.

McCarthy Building Companies Inc. re-cently promoted Blanca Rodriguez to marketing man-ager in its Dallas of-fice. Rodriguez, who has 15 years of experience, previ-ously served as the company’s senior marketing coordinator and marketing coordinator for Manhat-tan Construction and Merriman Associ-ates Architects in Dallas.

Eastridge Workforce Solutions an-nounces Camille Brewster has joined the company’s construction division as operations manager. Brewster has 14 years of staffing industry experience, with six years dedicated to construction and skilled trades staffing. Brewster, a U.S. Army veteran, previously worked for CLP-Skilled Trade Solutions, MDT Person-nel, Randstad and Kelly Services.

FKP Architects announces recent addi-tions to the firm’s Dallas office:

Ricardo Bandeira has joined the firm as a design technician. Bandeira earned a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Texas School of Architec-ture. He will work on the Texas Hospital Presbyterian – Plano Phase II Surgery Center Expansion and Boston Children’s Hospital.

Jalyn McDowell has joined the firm as a design technician. McDowell, who is an alumni of Texas Tech University, began his career working in the university’s Fa-cilities Planning & Construction Depart-ment and will now focus on FKP’s Texas Hospital Presbyterian – Plano project.


continued from Page 1 — Expansion point

continued from Page 1 — A most fitting choice

continued from Page 1 — On the fast track

Best of East and West “Having been with the company 25 years, I am proud to see this next step to-wards serving our customers in the 21st century with this cutting edge, efficient facility that will help us remain an indus-try leader for years to come,” executive vice president David Neal says. The company, which received a warm welcome from the city of Farmers Branch at an Aug. 14 ribbon cutting, looks forward to serving its customers at its new location. “We officially opened the office in

Dallas in June of 1983 and are incredibly grateful to all of our clients who have been so instrumental in our success,” Chamberlin president John Kafka says. “Our team looks forward to the next 32 years serving our many clients through-out North Texas operating out of our new state-of-the-art facility.” Chamberlin Roofing and Waterproof-ing provides commercial roofing and sheet metal, waterproofing and caulking, building and garage restoration services as well as re-lated maintenance and leak repair. –mjm

The Regional Hispanic Contractors Association (RHCA) was on the ball for its 11th annual Golf Classic, held July 24 at Dallas’ Bear Creek Golf Course. Two courses – East and West – set the scene for swing. In the end, the two first place teams

happened to share the same name, but win or lose, all teams scored a catered lunch and fun with friends. –mjm

West Course winners

East Course winners

1st Place – West Course:Huffines Chevrolet Lewisville TeamFred Whitfield, Perri Kittles, Jose Guzman and Steve Kloza

1st Place – East Course:Huffines Chevrolet Lewisville TeamRay Hernandez, Josh Dulock, Louis Osu-na and Scott Spiegel

Groves Electrical Service Inc., Venture Mechanical Inc., Paramount Plumbing, Composite Panel Technologies (CPT), Network Flooring LLC, Signature Floors & Interiors, MTCS, Dirt Movers LLC, Rockin S Construction Company, Brian Kelly Glass & Mirror Co., Creative Mill-works, DFW Doors, North Texas Sheet Metal, Firefighter’s Landscape, JM Striping and Wildstone Construction. While the project itself didn’t face any significant challenges that might de-rail it under his watch, Piepenbrok did receive some welcome news during con-struction. “During this project, the Van Tuyl Group car dealerships were sold to Berk-shire Hathaway Automotive,” Piepenbrok explains. “This was the first car dealership

project that was completed under Berk-shire Hathaway. We’re kind of proud of that.” In the end, the project was some-thing in which everyone, including the owner, could take pride. “Everybody was very pleased,” Piepenbrok says. ”I think everyone is very proud of that project. We’re pleased that we’re working with Berkshire Hathaway on the next project in Frisco, which is a 35-acre site, including a Cadillac, Infiniti, Collision Center and Pre-Owned Build-ing.” Dallas-based WestWind Building Cor-poration is a general contractor and con-struction management company specializ-ing in automotive, commercial, industrial, medical and retail projects. –mjm

A tower displays a large video screen to communicate specials to customers.

However, Wakefield kept reflecting on his early days working for his parents, and still felt a strong pull to concentrate on customer service. He realized the best way to honor that was to start his own business. In Apr. 2014, he established Texas Green Plumbing Company and dedicated his nights and weekends to the new company. One year later, he was able to devote himself to the business full-time. In addition to a customer service fo-cus, the new business allows Wakefield to concentrate on his other passion – water conservation. “I named it Texas Green Plumbing Company because of my background in water conservation. I’m a LEED AP and I believe in building buildings green; I be-lieve that is going to be our future. I have

every endorsement that Texas offers on a plumbing license so that I can do multi purpose residential fire protection sys-tems, rainwater harvesting, and gray wa-ter reclamation. I am also a member of Green Plumbers USA. “ Wakefield has benefitted from the families who shaped him and from fol-lowing his instincts to create a business that reflects his values. “I want every customer to be a re-peat customer, and it’s working that way. Customers are calling me back with other problems or with referrals, which is most of my work right now. It’s a great blessing and it has been wonderful,” he says. Texas Green Plumbing Company in Sachse is a full-service plumbing company offering installations, water audits, and slab leak inspections. –mjm

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Kickin’ cans

Twenty-nine teams of architects, en-gineers, designers, contractors and businesses created art with 161,455

cans of food to help end hunger. The Dal-las CANstruction creations, on display at the State Fair of Texas’s Science Building until Oct. 18, were judged in six catego-ries. The president of the State Fair chose his favorite – Corgan’s “Oh the Places You CAN Go,” and gave out President’s Blue Ribbon Awards as well. –mjm

Best meal: GSR Anrade Architects, “Passport to CAN Nation”

Juror’s Favorite and Most Cans: Perkins + Will and Joeris General Contractors, “Up Up and

Away … From Hunger; 13,942 cans

President’s Blue Ribbon: Corgan, “Oh the Places You CAN Go!”

Structural Integrity: Stantec, “Shortcut to End Hunger”

Honorable Mention: BOKA Powell, “Tex-Mex Cantina Food Truck”

Best Use of Lables: O’Brien Architects, Hill & Wilkinson Engineers, “Stamp with the Heart”

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News October 2015

Documents

Transcript of Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News October 2015