San Antonio Construction News June 2015

The Industry’s Newspaper

™CONSTRUCTIONCONSTRUCTIONSan Antonio

A retail Dominion

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Across I-10 from the Dominion, ten-ants are quickly filling up lease space at the Dominion Retail Cen-

ter recently completed by RED HAWK Contracting Company, Inc. The project cost was approximately $2 million and the build presented sev-eral challenges, but the project turned out really nice in the end, notes Desi Val-dez, president of RED HAWK. The project achieved substantial completion Apr. 2. There were a few challenges and de-lays from the very beginning. The build-ing pad for the 20,000-sf shell building had been done outside of RED HAWK’s contract, but due to the amount of time that passed between the pad being done and RED HAWK starting, they had to re-process it. After bidding the project in October 2013 and starting in January of last year, construction was shut down immediate-ly. Doubling the duration of the project RED HAWK Contracting Company’s recent project, The Dominion Retail

Center, features a multi-faceted storefront.

was the unknown requirement that the existing access easement for CVS could not be closed for any significant period of time. Keeping that access open meant limiting RED HAWK’s own access, as well as their storage capacity of what could be brought to the site on certain days. This forced RED HAWK to phase the entire project. A second significant delay was an is-sue with the size of a water quality unit, which had to be at least doubled in size, complicating the excavation for the unit itself. Once clarification as to the size of the water quality efficiency was ap-proved, the site utility work started up again. A third significant delay was the un-usual amount of weather days, Monday through Friday, the build suffered be-cause no work could be done. Valdez es-timates that on a typical job lasting five

Having opened the doors on the first of this year, Watson Nunnel-ly, LLC is preparing for the healthy

workload ahead in the next few months. With Don Watson and Sam Nunnelly at the helm and manpower already lined up for big jobs on the board, the new electri-cal contractor is off to a ‘power’ful start. Watson worked at Alterman for 18 years, and then he switched to general contracting for two-and-a-half years. Wanting to return to the electrical world, Watson began working toward establish-ing his own electrical contracting com-pany in February of last year. Nunnelly had worked for his family’s general contracting company and had pursued his own independent develop-

ment at Core Continuum Group. With most of his work in the oil and gas indus-try, Nunnelly wanted to return to the con-struction side. When Watson asked Nun-nelly if he was interested in going into business with him, Nunnelly jumped on board. Emphasizing the importance of working with good people, Nunnelly says, “They don’t get any better than Don.” He adds that the growth of Watson Nunnelly will be driven by the number of good people they can find, with 10 al-ready committed and about eight com-ing in for projects scheduled to start soon.

Don Watson and Sam Nunnelly embarked upon a new electrical entrepreneurialendeavor, Watson Nunnelly, at the start of the year.

Tower Life BuildingDowntown San Antonio

Since the San Antonio firm Integrat-ed Testing and Engineering Com-pany, better known as InTEC, be-

gan in the garage of its founders, the firm has grown its operations and expanded its services and markets while – almost literally – building upon its experience. E.A. “Dr. Paul” Palaniappan, PhD, PE, and his wife and managing partner, Jaya Palaniappan, started out in geo-technical engineering and construction materials testing in San Antonio. Dr. Paul would do the work in the field, and Jaya would do all of the finance and some of the lab work, which she still does today. As they added environmental and geological site assessments, they have

L-R: “Dr. Paul” and Jaya Palaniappan, owners of InTEC of San Antonio, andMurali Subramaniam, an engineer who oversees geotechnical and

construction materials testing at the firm

also expanded from single-family resi-dential to multi-family to commercial and public work for the City of San Antonio and Bexar County. They also opened of-fices in Austin, Dallas and Houston. To-day, Dr. Paul and his wife own and oper-ate InTEC of San Antonio as its own enti-ty while their sons independently own and operate the other offices. “We are fortunate to have started the company in a state which is always grow-ing,” comments Dr. Paul. “We are fortu-nate to be in Texas.” Working in the field in San Antonio since 1976, Dr. Paul is familiar with the lo-cal soil conditions and his long history

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Enduring nearly a century, Duder-stadt Foundation & Construction continues well into a new century

with the sons of its pioneers at the helm. “I’m very proud,” says Frank J. Dud-erstadt, grandson of founder, Ed Duder-stadt. “My son [James F. Duderstadt] is actually the business owner now. He’s fourth generation. It says a lot about what we do and how we do it. You can’t stay in business 100 years if you don’t do things right and if you don’t treat people right.” Ed laid the foundation for Duder-stadt Foundation Co. in 1916, working with W.E. Simpson Sr., a local structural engineer, to come up with a better way of drilling piers for foundations. “At that point in time, the state-of-the-art was hand-dug footings,” Frank J. explains. “And they actually did hand-dug footings that were fairly deep, but he wanted to see if he could construct a ma-chine that would actually drill these piers. They did that. They converted a water well rig to do the drilling, and it was suc-cessful. “There were, of course, improve-ments made over the years, but my dad [Frank F. Duderstadt] was still using horse-drawn equipment during World War II, which was actually kind of good, because they didn’t require any fuel, and fuel was scarce. Of course, a lot of work he did during World War II was for the military, for bases all over Texas.” Frank F. took over the operations in 1940 and continued to use horsepower machines until the mid-‘50s when he converted to gasoline engine power. He also expanded the company’s services to include structural repairs and foundation leveling, even pioneering the use of drilled piers to support and level existing slab-on-grade foundations in 1966. Frank J. worked for a geotechnical engineering firm in Dallas before joining the company

The wellspring of innovation

in 1978. His addition allowed them to take on a higher volume of work, and they added retaining walls and suspend-ed concrete floor systems to their servic-es. James joined the firm in 2009, and in 2010, the company was reorganized and rebranded with its new name. Today, the company focus has not changed. Since 2011, they have been do-ing a lot of historic renovations, including work on four of the historic buildings at Fort Sam Houston and some of the his-toric buildings at the Pearl Brewery. “One of the things I was really proud of that we did a couple years ago – we put a complete foundation under Mis-sion San Juan, which is the oldest mission in San Antonio,” says Frank J. “It basically didn’t have a rigid foundation, but it does now. To me, that’s one of our major ac-complishments.” –mh

T.P. Duderstadt, son of founder Ed Duderstadt, stands on one of

Duderstadt Foundation’s water well rigs in the early 1930s.


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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Branching off from its home in Aus-tin, 1st Plumbing Services recently opened its first new office in San

Antonio. Offering plumbing and AC ser-vices, the company also aims to serve the community, working with local charities and schools. As the corridor from Austin to San Antonio experiences significant growth, David Delgado, service manager and operations manager for San Antonio, be-lieves this is a great time to expand the business further south. As more people move into the area, Delgado sees oppor-tunities to build relationships with cus-tomers. “[We wanted to] bring back the old days, how you knew your plumber,” ex-plains Delgado. “If you ran into your plumber at a restaurant or at the grocery store, you’d acknowledge him, say hi and talk with him. I feel that’s what we’ve done in Austin, and we want to do the same kind of thing in San Antonio – touching people’s lives, helping them out and building relationships. I have sev-eral customers in Austin that send me

Christmas cards and family photos. We have a relationship with them.” Delgado came into the plumbing in-dustry about 12 years ago when Stephen Harwell got him a job in San Marcos. About six-and-a-half years ago, Harwell started 1st Plumbing Services, and he brought Delgado on board just three months later. Though he had been living in San Marcos, Delgado and his family moved to the New Braunfels area since his wife is a teacher at New Braunfels High School. “The thing that I enjoy most is that every day is a new challenge,” he says. “I really love what I’m doing. It makes me feel good being able to help out other people.” Since arriving in San Antonio, 1st Plumbing Services has done jobs ranging from faucet replacement to a complete re-pipe of a 400-unit apartment com-plex. –mh

Knowing your plumber

David Delgado is running operations for the new San Antonio office as1st Plumbing Services travels down the pipeline to the Alamo City.

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In the course of running G.E. Reaves Engineering, president and CEO Gay-lord E. Reaves, PE, has worked with

insulating concrete forms (ICF) for years. His passion for this specific product and its environmental impact led him to start selling it through his own company, For-ever Green Concrete Forms. “Whenever people would come to us to design a wall system, I’d end up de-signing for Eterna or maybe one of the other [ICF manufacturers] and essentially sell them that product for the company,” says Reaves. “So, after doing that for a few years, I asked to be a rep for the com-pany, and that’s when I formed Forever Green Concrete Forms.” Based in San Antonio, Reaves be-came a nationwide distributor of Eterna ICF in 2011 and rebranded his Clayco Concrete Products, which he started in 2005, as Forever Green Concrete Forms. The company’s ICF products incorporate a green building material for wall sys-tems that is 85 percent post-consumer polystyrene. Before 2000, when ICF was still very new, Reaves recalls that it was hard to find an engineer willing to spend the time on designing with it. However, his firm started learning to design with all the different ICF blocks and products and started working it into their designs be-cause of its green nature. The polystyrene comes from items such as old Styrofoam ice chests and Sty-rofoam board and forms used in packag-ing for electronic products. Since it doesn’t decompose in landfills, repur-posed polystyrene has found other uses, including being ground up and mixed in with cement that is used to create this ICF block. The resulting ICF meets Homeland Security standards, is a 4-hour firewall and can be engineered to be as strong as Concrete Masonry Units (CMU). Reacting to big news on the local en-

Green thinking takes form

vironmental front, Reaves observes that San Antonio will start seeing more ener-gy efficient buildings now. As of Jan. 29, the City of San Antonio became the first city in Texas to adopt the 2015 Interna-tional Energy Conservation Code (IECC) for residential and commercial buildings. “[The previous] code was originally developed in 2009 and had not been up-graded since then,” says Reaves. “But be-ing proactive, San Antonio has gone along with recommendations from Texas A&M to adopt the [new] code.” Reaves is active in the construction community. Both his firm and Forever Green are members of the Greater San Antonio Building Association (GSABA), the Hispanic Contractors Association (HCA), the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), and both the Greater and North chambers of commerce. They also work with some local charities. –mh

Gaylord E. Reaves examines one of the concrete forms his company, Forever Green

Concrete Forms, sells. Since Rudy and Lori Fernandez started their own used construction equipment company, Blue Planet

Machinery in December 2009, the com-pany has added some new products and machines to their inventory. Rudy was raised around heavy equipment since his brothers had their own company and were in construction for most of their lives. While dealing in used loader backhoes, skid steers and mini excavators, Blue Planet also carries new skid steer attachments by Belltec and Star Industries. Soon, they will also be introducing new Digga North America trenching equipment. Blue Planet’s clien-tele ranges from ranchers and home-owners to contractors. While Lori does financial and clerical work for the company full-time as a mem-ber of the LLC, Rudy, managing member, does all the buying, selling and negotiat-ing, which is actually his part-time job. His full-time position is fire lieutenant for

Blue Planet, red helmet

the San Antonio Fire Department. At 49 years old with 29 years in the field, Rudy has been a firefighter for most of his life. He first worked for the City of Leon Valley, completing training at their regional fire academy, and then he joined the SAFD and completed another six months of training at its fire academy. In addition to being a fireman, he is also a paramedic, and he has been with the City of San Antonio for almost 20 years now. “Along with the stress and the chal-lenging parts of this job comes a great satisfaction,” says Rudy. “It’s a job really like no other. You work shift work. You work with people that become very close over your career, basically family, and the job puts all of us in some peculiar situa-tions. It typically makes you a stronger person.” Married for 28 years, Rudy and Lori have an 18-year-old daughter, Emily, who is a freshman at UTSA. –mh

The Blue Planet Machinery family L-R: Emily, Lori and Rudy Fernandez


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Rocking the haus

Last year, Rock Haus Stone Co. cele-brated the fifth anniversary of its founding. This year, the New

Braunfels-based natural stone and land-scape supplier has just opened a San An-tonio location on Highway 87 between 410 and 1604. With that side of the Alamo City ex-periencing a lot of new growth and de-velopment, business partners J.B. Mumme and Jaime Cadena seized the opportunity to open a facility there. The wholesale and retail distributor sells and delivers materials all over the state from Dallas-Fort Worth to McAllen and throughout South Texas to Laredo and West Texas. “We sell a lot of flagstone, patio stone and building stone for houses, and then for retaining walls and flower beds,” says Mumme, who worked for his father be-fore Mumme and a partner started Rock Haus. “We sell river rock, soil, mulch, sand, cement, masonry supplies. We also

sell grass and metal buildings. We also sell pavers for walkways and patios.” Their customers are contractors, homebuilders and landscapers. Mumme estimates that the commercial market ac-counts for approximately 75 to 80 per-cent of their business, and the rest is resi-dential. In the area of the company’s new location, housing and subdivisions ac-count for a lot of the development. Founded in 2009 and officially opened for business five years ago in April 2010, Mumme and his friend, Tex Speck, decided to start their own busi-ness. Last year, Cadena bought Speck out and became the new co-owner of the business with Mumme. “He had a trucking company,” ex-plains Mumme. “He hauled for us for a long time before he became my partner. He was just bringing materials and doing all the bulk hauling. We have our own trucks now, and we still use his trucks also.” –mh

L-R: Based in New Braunfels, business partners Jaime Cadena and J.B. Mumme are now rocking the Rock Haus in San Antonio.

David RossTexas Plumbing DiagnosticsPHCC ApprenticeshipProgram

Texas Apprentice

As a second year apprentice in the Plumbing Heating Cooling Con-

tractors (PHCC) apprenticeship pro-gram, 39-year-old David Ross is learn-ing his new trade quickly. He is gaining experience in the field with Texas Plumbing Diagnostics, as well as class-room knowledge in the San Antonio Chapter’s new program. Not one to sit behind a desk, Ross enjoys being out in the field all day, getting hands-on experience, but as “a bit of a nerd,” he notes that learning the technical aspects of the job and the science behind it is pretty cool. Born in Heraklion on the island of Crete in Greece, Ross was the third of four children. Along with his sister and two brothers, he grew up traveling with his parents – both U.S. citizens – since his father was in the military. Ross spent 15 years in the Air Force as enlisted aircrew, and describes his position as a combination technician and operator. He worked on the Air-borne Warning and Control System (AWACS) and the MC-12, and he earned two associate’s degrees through the Community College of the Air Force. When he left the Air Force, he was living in Oklahoma, but he sold the house he was fixing up and came to San Antonio to be near his family. When he arrived, he applied for several jobs in security, since that is a substantial part of his background. When he didn’t get those positions, a friend of the fam-ily turned out to be looking for a

plumbing apprentice at Texas Plumb-ing Diagnostics. After taking the job and discovering his passion for it, his boss gave him the option of enrolling in the PHCC apprenticeship program, and Ross welcomed the opportunity. Being in the Alamo City allows Ross to spend time with his former stepson, Michael, who turned 20 last month, and his sons, Vincent, 15, and Marciano, the youngest, who is a violinist in the Youth Orchestra of San Antonio (YOSA). When he’s not spending time with his kids, Ross occasionally plays piano and likes to make little paper origami animals, but his favorite hobby is to read, which he does quite a bit. He’s particularly fond of the older classics, counting Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Ayn Rand among his favorite authors. He also has a new hobby that he took on as a Christmas present to his son, Vincent – raising a corn snake. Ross always grew up with pets, and he want-ed to get Vincent some kind of pet. Ross keeps the pet so his son can enjoy it on weekend visits. Since his schedule required a pet to do well alone for much of the day, he found the right match in the snake, which is red and white and 18 inches long. She will be about 3 feet fully grown. –mh

In memoriam

Richard Charles Powell, founder of Industrial Sys-tems, passed away Apr. 22 at his home in San Anto-nio at the age of 70. Born in Houston on Jul. 28, 1944, he was married to his high school sweetheart, Lynn Monroe, for 48 years. He started Industrial Systems in 1974 and later started Computer Support, both of which are still successful today. He loved cars, riding his 4-wheel ATV around his ranch with his longhorns, and the Spurs. He was active in the local community and the construction community. He was a founding mem-ber and president of the Governors Club and the Olmos Kiwanis Club. He was a member of the Lions Club and Downtown Rotary, as well as the Mechani-cal Contractors Association (MCA), American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE), Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors (PHCC) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Survivors include his wife, Jo Lynn; son, Richard; daughter, Kimberly; brother, Michael; grandchildren, Kaitlynn, Richard, James, Connor and Carson; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and other family members. –mh

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Robbin BostickPresident

San Antonio Masonry& Tool Supply

Discovering he was destined for a career in the construction indus-try at the age of 20, Robbin Bos-

tick learned masonry supply from his pops in the family business. That was opened in the late ‘70s and was bought out in 1999. He struck out on his own in March 2000, establishing San Antonio Masonry & Tool Supply. Today, at 50, he is celebrating the 15th anniversary of his company. Having come from humble beginnings, he has devoted some of his time outside of work to making a difference in the lives of San Antonio’s disadvantaged youth through his volunteering efforts and strong faith.

What was it like for you growing up? I was born in Alabama, but when I was 2 years old, my parents moved to Texas, and I was raised in San Antonio. I went to East Central High School, and then for a semester, I went to San Anto-nio College. As a child, I was very involved in sports. From 5 years old, I loved playing basketball, football and baseball. I got into racing motocross when I was 10 years old, and loved it but really had to work at it. Got pretty banged up. But had some great times and memories and have a lot of good lifelong friends. Play-ing sports and racing motocross was an awesome childhood.

What sports do you like to play today? I play golf and ride my mountain bike. I enjoy working out. I like to stay ac-tive. Even with my broken up body [laughs].

Tell me about your involvement in the community. I go to Cross Mountain Church. I’ve been going there for the last nine years. It’s an awesome church off Boerne Stage Road. I’m very close to our pastor, Randy Ayers. My best friend, Steve Wise, intro-duced me to that church nine years ago.

He was a motocross star back in the day. I’m involved with Agora Ministries, which is part of Cross Mountain Church. It’s a small facility on the southwest part of town off of San Fernando that reaches out to the kids that are less fortunate right there in the projects. We reach out and give those that are less fortunate, that don’t have parents to support them, an opportunity to hang out and have food and bring them to Christ. It’s just been a blessing to be involved.

I heard that you also helped Agora with their new facility. Yes. We’re upgrading and revamping the inside. We’re repainting the inside. We’re going to make it a nice facility. We have been proactive on helping in that part of it. We have other churches that have been active in helping Agora Ministries in all of its improvements. It’s amazing all the outside support that has been given.

What made you want to get involved with this particular organization? We don’t get to pick our parents, and the last six or seven years, my heart has always been wanting to reach out to kids who did not have an opportunity to have a mom and a dad to support them, love them and encourage them and be there. I’ve always been drawn to [their struggles], and one day about eight or nine months ago, a gentleman named Ja-son Brooks, who goes to our church, was telling me about Agora Ministries before Cross Mountain reached out to them – Agora is now part of Cross Mountain. Ja-son Brooks is a really special guy, and his father-in-law started [Agora] about 30 years ago, and he started telling me about it. I said, “I’d love to get involved and help and be a part of that.” So, I just jumped in. I went down there the first time, and I saw the facility was pier and beam that was all torn up. I said, “You know, we ought to see if we can get some help to tear this out. I can supply the rebar, and I know some people” – and we did it. Then, Cross Mountain saw what was going on and they got involved. So, now it has a great support program. Long story short is it’s awesome to help kids that don’t have parents – that need encouragement, love, support and guidance. That means a lot to them. I would say Agora Ministries has been one of the most awesome things to be a part of to impact young children’s lives.

What other organizations are you in-volved with? We’re very active with some of the kiddos that are raising livestock when ro-deo comes. We like to participate any-time anybody needs some help with family and things like that.

What other efforts have you made with the kids you’re trying to help? We had a career day here [at San An-tonio Masonry & Tool Supply]. We had 14 young adults from Agora from 14 to 15 years old that came to the office. We had a boxed lunch in the conference room, sat around for a question and answer session. We talked about life and career decisions. They asked some awesome questions about some of the important parts of run-ning a business. One of the suggestions was “Always do what you say and say what you do. Do the right thing.” It was awesome to talk among each other. Then, we went around the facility and talked about the masonry supply business. It was neat to see these young kids that have a bright future and maybe didn’t have all the tools, but they’re not going to let that stop them. It was about a three-hour day that was just probably one of the most special days I’ve ever had. That was last summer, and that was the first time I’ve ever expe-rienced something like that.

Do you have any kids of your own? I have a 28-year-old son, Marty Bos-tick. He’s a one and only child, and he’s very special. I’m his dad, but we’re like best friends. He was born when I was 21 years old. One of my motocross heros when I was a kid was Marty Smith. He was the cool, good-looking guy from Califor-nia. So, I knew then if I had a son, his name was going to be Marty. And here we are [laughs]. My son and I have been really close. He started living with me when he was 12. We used to ride dirt bikes together. We play golf together. We laugh togeth-er. We do everything together. And he works in the business [at San Antonio Ma-sonry & Tool Supply]. He’s got a really bright future. He communicates really well. He’s in outside sales, does a good job and has a great personality and a good heart.

Where do you live? I live in a subdivision in the north of San Antonio. I’m single. I’ve been single 17 years. I’m kind of married to my work right now but working on having a more balanced life.

How did you get started in this busi-ness? My “pops” encouraged me to come work for him in the family business and

learn the masonry supply business, and I fell in love with it. I learned from the ground floor and enjoyed every part of the business. In 1999, the family business was sold. Over the 30 years, we had five locations, three in Texas and two in Geor-gia. I ran the San Antonio facility here. We had a bagging division where we set up distributors out of San Antonio. It was a great opportunity for 20 years to learn the business and establish long-term re-lationships with the vendors and custom-ers. Which was a big part of our success when we started up. What else do you do in your spare time? I still love the motocross industry. We go to some of the races and have friends from back in the day when we raced to-gether. We talk about old times and keep up with the new motocross stars of today. It’s a hobby that is still fun to keep up with. I play golf and ride my mountain bike. I en-joy spending time with my family.

Where does your passion for the busi-ness come from? I enjoy building the business and in-teracting with employees, customers and vendors. Meeting our employees’ and customers’ needs is our number one goal. To improve our business every day is gratifying. To put a program together that helps our customers and employees be more successful is our number one goal. Creating a friendly work environ-ment where everyone enjoys coming to work equals success.

What does the 15th anniversary of the business mean to you? And what are your goals going forward? It’s been a blessing, starting from zero in March of 2000 and being able to grow the business. This year was one of our biggest years with the economy be-ing good. Our work environment culture in the last two years has been incredible. Over the past couple of years, we’ve broadened the types of material we sell. We just bought 22 acres at 1604 and 78. We’re building a new location in Con-verse. We want to continue to add value to our business in the masonry, stucco and foundation trades. Continue to be a one-stop shop supply company. We’re opening a division in mid-April called San Antonio Rebar, which will supply form lumber, accessories and will add a lot of value for our customers. We are excited about the future. –mh

Robbin Bostick finds joy in helping disadvantaged youth through his church.

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A prescription to thrive

Starting out as an IT company, RX Technology evolved to become a low-voltage contractor, and diversi-

fying helped RX survive the dot com bust and the economic downturn to celebrate its 20th anniversary. In 2000, Mark Rizzo, vice president, started the company, coming from the sales side of the computer industry, with his wife Joan Rizzo, president, who was on the business side of social work. So, Joan runs the business and finances, while Mark works with the customers and does sales. Their customers asked them to ex-pand into other areas of service from re-pairing computers to selling them, and in 1996, one of their clients, St. Matthew’s, asked them to install wire and cable for the school. That cable is still functioning well today, and RX now does low-voltage for schools, local, state and federal, as well as a large hotel in Austin. With their low-voltage service en-

compassing cable for voice, video and data, they are also a licensed security company providing camera systems, ac-cess control and fire and burglar alarm systems. Diversifying into these areas of technology construction helped RX sur-vive times when many of their competi-tors were shutting their doors. Today, Mark estimates that low-voltage con-tracting accounts for 70 percent of their business. Outside of work, Mark and Joan spend a lot of time with their four chil-dren. Their son, Nathan Rizzo, who is 30, came into the business six years ago. To-day, he manages the IT department, though Mark emphasizes that they have no titles in the office because everyone pitches in. Nathan earned his MBA from the University of Dallas, and Mark credits him with modernizing the company, re-doing the website and building relation-ships with contractors. –mh

L-R: Joan, Mark and Nathan Rizzo are celebrating the 20th anniversary of RX Technology.

Jumping from roof to rod

The Roofing Contractors Association of Texas (RCAT) held its 12th annual Fishing Tournament May 2 at

Woody’s Sports Center in Port Aransas. Hosting a record number of entrants, this was RCAT’s largest tournament to date with 44 guided boats and seven individu-al boats. –mh

Winners:Guided DivisionHeaviest Total Stringer1st: Restoration Services (Houston) – Don Wisnoski, Gary Hayes, John Randall (34.54 lbs.)2nd: Armored Roofing and RK Hydro-Vac (Wichita Falls) – Richard Koetter, Albert Martinez, Skyler Martinez (30.94 lbs.)3rd: ABC Supply (Stafford) and Joe Ochoa Roofs & Even More – Shannon Galloway, David Hernandez, Robert Garza, Larry Showalter (30.62 lbs.)Heaviest Trout1st: Mingo Lee, Mule-Hide (Houston) (7.86 lbs.)2nd: Richard Koetter, Armored Roofing (4.02 lbs.) 3rd: Marshall Powell, Mule-Hide (3.54 lbs.)Heaviest Redfish1st: Don Wisnoski, Restoration Services (7.66 lbs.)

2nd: Ted Durrett, Final Touch Roofing (Rosenberg) (7.22 lbs.)3rd: Richard Koetter, Armored Roofing (6.86 lbs.)Spot Pot: Shannon Galloway, ABC Staf-ford (8 spots)Individual DivisionHeaviest Total Stringer1st: Rain King (Victoria) – Alan Cain, Clint Cain, Jerrod Cain, Brian Boyd (14.88 lbs.)Heaviest Trout1st: Donald Belcher, Roofing Supply Group (San Antonio) (4.66 lbs.)Heaviest Redfish1st: Alan Cain, Rain King (3.48 lbs.)

1st Heavy Trout: Mingo Lee

1st Heavy Stringer: Don Wisnoski and Chris Crutcher, RCAT president


Dynamite employees

As TNT Crane & Rigging celebrates its 30th anniversary company-wide, the leaders of its Selma loca-

tion are making sure their employees know how important they have been and still are to TNT’s longevity and success. “Family is a very important part of TNT,” explains Johnny Johnson, branch and operations manager. “And what our 30th anniversary represents to us is the successes that we’ve had and the things that we’ve learned together over the years and making sure that everybody knows that they’re a part of our success.” Having joined TNT in 2011 with the acquisition of Louisiana Crane, Gary Har-vey, district manager overseeing San An-tonio and Midland operations, says that when he thanks CEO Mike Appling for the opportunity he’s given him, Appling replies, “Thank you for allowing me to work for you.” The same focus on the individual and the relationships between manage-ment and employees is emphasized in

TNT’s Incident and Injury-Free program. Johnson and Harvey note the impor-tance TNT places on safety to make sure employees feel safe on the jobsite. John-son says that making safety personal, rel-evant and important to everyone and their decision process is part of TNT’s cul-ture. They issue a Stop Work Authority Card to employees that states, “It is your responsibility and you have the authority to stop. Your ideas & concerns are impor-tant. As an employee of this company, you are responsible and authorized to stop any work that does not comply with our values.” On the back, it adds, “Do it safely or not at all; there is always time to do it right.” Started in Houston where Appling and Kregg Lunsford, president, are based, the Selma branch was established in 2004. Today, the branch is running ap-proximately 40 cranes with more than 110 employees. –mh

L-R: Gary Harvey and Johnny Johnson at TNT Crane & Rigging’s Selma location

The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) San Antonio Chapter hosted its “Swing Into Fun” event May 14 at Top Golf San Antonio. Featuring a new “min-gler” option for the association’s non-golfers, this is the second event ABC has

held at the popular driving range, which opened earlier this year. –mh

Swinging and mingling

Marcus Rocha, a sales executive with Impact Fire Services, takes his turn to drive.

Red Hawk Contracting L-R: Victoria Martinez, Mark Taylor, Ivonne Berea,Virginia Villalobos, Russell Padilla, Desi Valdez


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The owners of iconic restaurant Josephine Street are expanding with a new location next door. Tim de la Torre and Abel Serrano with Ecko Construction are putting the finishing

touches on the new slab. The GC is Sabinal Group. –cw

Growing a new restaurantConstruction News JOB SIGHT

Life insurance provides securityTerrell O. Taylor Jr., CLU, PartnerChrist Taylor InsuranceHouston, TX

Financial security is the comfort of knowing your family’s standard of living is secure even when a life-

changing event occurs. The first step in strengthening your family’s financial future is to face some worst-case scenarios.

Everyone needs ready financial re-sources to fall back on. If hard times have reduced your ready cash and emergency funds, the insurance component of your safety net becomes all the more impor-tant. If you were to die today, life insur-ance would provide cash to your depen-dents that can help pay for your funeral and other final expenses, meet everyday living expenses, pay down the mort-gage, finance longer term goals like edu-cation and retirement, and generally maintain your family’s quality of life. If you are the breadwinner, life insur-ance will replace some or all of your in-come if you die. Even if you don’t work outside the home, you still provide ser-vices that are expensive to replace, like childcare and household chores. If you are a business owner, a properly struc-tured life insurance program can safe-guard the finances of both your business and family. However, life insurance is something that no one likes to think about. The good news is that 86% of Americans be-lieve that life insurance is something that most people need. The bad news is that most Americans don’t have enough and more than a third don’t have any at all.

How much life insurance do I need? Since the amount of insurance you need depends on your specific financial goals and circumstances, there is no sim-ple formula to help determine the amount that’s right for you. That said, when you consider all the things that life insurance proceeds need to fund and how long the money will be needed, you begin to realize that your true need for coverage is often 10 or 15 times your gross income, often more.

Should I buy term or permanent life insurance? Generally speaking, term offers the greatest coverage for the lowest initial premium and is a great solution for peo-ple with temporary needs or a limited budget. Permanent insurance may make more sense if you anticipate a need for lifelong protection and like the option of accumulating tax-deferred cash values. Also, it doesn’t have to be one or the oth-

er. Oftentimes, a combination of term and permanent insurance is the right an-swer. Life insurance should serve as the foundation of your family’s financial se-curity, helping to ensure that your loved ones will be all right financially even if something were to happen to you. Here are 7 fundamental ways that life insurance creates a strong base for your financial security:

• Buys Time – allows loved ones to fo-cus on their grief by helping to pay for the funeral and other final expenses. • Provides a Fresh Start – Lets loved ones start with a clean slate by helping to pay off credit card bills, outstanding loans and even the mortgage. • Generates Income – Helps replace lost income for years to come so that sur-viving family members can continue to pay for life’s necessities. • Offers Flexibility – Gives a surviving spouse the chance to take time off from work or to switch to a job that offers a more flexible work schedule. • Creates Opportunities – Can provide funding to start a business, or pay for schooling so surviving family members can train for a new career. • Funds the Future – Offers a way to fund longer-range goals like a college education for the kids or a secure retire-ment for a surviving spouse.• Leaves A Legacy – Gives parents the chance to leave future generations with the legacy of long-term financial securi-ty. But this can only happen if you’ve done the proper planning. Don’t wait an-other minute and schedule time to meet with an insurance professional in your community or your benefits manager at work to make sure you have the right amount and type of life insurance to pro-tect the ones you love.

Christ Taylor Insurance is an employee benefits and insurance brokerage firm do-ing business for over 50 years in southeast Texas, and long-time ABC member. Contact the Christ Taylor team at 713-850-7747 or www.christtaylor.com.

Section 179 and tangibleproperty regsMilton G. Barrett, CPA - ShareholderRidout, Barrett & Co., PCSan Antonio, TX

Section 179 As we all are aware, as of Jan. 1, 2015, the Section 179 limits were reduced back to $25,000. In addition, the 50% bonus depreciation expired on Dec. 31, 2014. But,

as in 2014, there is hope that the limits will be restored. The 2014 tax relief was signed by the president in late December which gave very little time for small businesses to plan and make purchases.

In Feb. 2015, the House of Represen-tatives voted on a bill that would perma-nently increase the Section 179 limit to $500,000 with a phase out threshold of $2,000,000 and index for inflation start-ing in 2016. The 50% bonus depreciation, Section 168(k), is also attached to the bill. The Senate will now consider the bill and make changes or rewrite it completely. By making the higher limits perma-nent, the House hopes to encourage small business growth in investments by reducing the tax burden. The estimated tax savings over the next 10 years would be approximately $77 billion. The presi-dent has threatened to veto the bill as is unless there is an offset to increase tax revenue through some other means by $77 billion.

Property that will qualify for Section 179

• Machinery and equipment• Business vehicles with GVWR

over 6,000 lbs (with exceptions)• Computers, office equipment,

furniture and off the shelf soft-ware

• Property attached to buildings that are not structural

• Single purpose agricultural and horticultural structures

• Storage facilities (except build-ings) used in distribution and production of petroleum prod-ucts

• Livestock• Qualified leasehold improve-

ments

Tangible property regs These new regulations will affect ev-ery taxpayer that uses tangible property in their business. For years the Internal Revenue Service has fought with taxpay-ers on what constitutes repairs and what constitutes capital improvements. The IRS has issued final regs in this regards that will be effective for 2014 and later tax returns. Under the old rules, deductible re-pairs and maintenance are those that are incurred for the purpose of keeping property in operating condition. Capital

improvements are expenditures that prolong the life of an asset or increase its value. An example would be a taxpayer rebuilds an engine for a piece of equip-ment. The cost to rebuild the engine would need be capitalized and depreci-ated. IRS argues that the rebuilt engine increases the value of the equipment as well as prolonging the life. The new rules starts with the as-sumption that all tangible property must be capitalized and depreciated unless there is an exception. One such excep-tion would be for materials and supplies. Material and supplies of $200 or less and that will be consumed in one year or less can be currently deducted. There are three safe harbor rules that can be used by taxpayers. De Minimis Safe Harbor – a taxpay-er that has a written policy and makes an annual election to deduct up to $500 per invoice item. If the taxpayer prepares an audited financial statement, then the lim-it can increase to $5,000. Routine Maintenance Safe Harbor – a taxpayer can deduct the cost of rou-tine maintenance if it is expected to oc-cur more than once during the life of the asset. Safe Harbor for Small Taxpayers – this safe harbor is primarily used by land-lords. Annual expenses that can be de-ducted must be the lessor of $10,000 or 2% of the building’s basis. To qualify for the safe harbor, the property must have a basis of $1 million or less and the taxpay-ers annual gross receipts must be $10 million or less. $1 million limit appears low and limits the number of taxpayers eligible for the safe harbor, however, the building must be separated into “units of property”. Plumbing, electrical, elevators, alarm systems, HVAC, etc will be a sepa-rate UOP to depreciate.

Ridout, Barrett & Co., PC has been serving the San Antonio area since 1986. The firm develops long-term relationships with its clients and becomes an integral part of their team. The firm services the needs of its clients by providing professional services of the highest quality in a proactive and time-ly manner.


When am I really done?Sewell “Spike” Cutler Jr.Cutler-Smith PCDallas, TX

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The Associated General Contractors (AGC) course, The Basics, held in partnership with Bexar County, completed its 10th program May 5 with a graduation ceremony. The Basics

is a 10-week program offered to promote small, minority, and women-owned construction businesses and it is a prerequisite for the mentor/protégé program. –mh

Submitted to Construction News

A basic 10

Confined space in constructionJoann NatarajanCompliance Assistance SpecialistOSHAAustin, TX

On May 4, 2015, OSHA issued a final rule on confined space in construction. The new law becomes effec-

tive on August 3rd, 2015 Construction workers often per-form tasks in confined spaces - work areas that (1) are

large enough for an employee to enter, (2) have limited means of entry or exit, and (3) are not designed for continuous occupancy. These spaces can present physical and atmospheric hazards that can be prevented if addressed prior to entering the space to perform work. This page is a starting point for finding information about these spaces, the hazards they may present, and ways to safely work in them.

The construction rule requirements in-clude: More detailed provisions requiring coordinated activities when there are multiple employers at the worksite to en-sure hazards are not introduced into a confined space by workers performing tasks outside the space. An example would be a generator running near the entrance of a confined space causing a buildup of carbon monoxide within the space. Requiring a competent person to evaluate the work site and identify con-fined spaces, including permit spaces. Requiring continuous atmospheric moni-toring whenever possible. Requiring continuous monitoring of engulfment hazards. For example, when workers are performing work in a storm sewer, a storm upstream from the work-ers could cause flash flooding. An elec-tronic sensor or observer posted up-stream from the work site could alert workers in the space at the first sign of the hazard, giving the workers time to evacuate the space safely. Allowing for the suspension of a per-mit, instead of cancellation, in the event of changes from the entry conditions list on

the permit or an unexpected event requir-ing evacuation of the space. The space must be returned to the entry conditions listed on the permit before re-entry. Requiring that employers who direct workers to enter a space without using a complete permit system prevent work-ers’ exposure to physical hazards through elimination of the hazard or isolation methods such as lockout/tagout. Requiring that employers who are relying on local emergency services for emergency services arrange for respond-ers to give the employer advance notice if they will be unable to respond for a pe-riod of time (because they are respond-ing to another emergency, attending de-partment-wide training, etc.).Requiring employers to provide training in a language and vocabulary that the worker understands. Finally, several terms have been add-ed to the definitions for the construction rule, such as “entry employer” to describe the employer who directs workers to en-ter a space, and “entry rescue”, added to clarify the differences in the types of res-cue employers can use.

[email protected] x232

Routinely, a contractor’s work is warranted against defects in materials and workmanship for a stated

period — usually one year from substantial completion. Contractors have the reasonable belief that after the end of the warranty period, their responsibility for the product and the work is effectively ended. But, when does it end, really?

As lawyers, we usually have to tell our clients that their exposure really doesn’t end until the statute of limita-tions, the legal bar against further suits, has taken effect. In Texas, that usually means either a four year statute of limita-tions (for breach of contract), or a two year statute of limitations (for negligence, such as negligent design and the like). But it is never quite that simple.

Discovery rule The “discovery rule” doctrine means a statute of limitations doesn’t start run-ning until the condition could reasonably have been detected. Thus, if you per-formed deficient work, but deficiencies were concealed, limitations don’t begin to run until the defect could reasonably have been discovered, which could be a very long time, indeed. For this reason, contractors histori-cally found themselves facing claims for work performed in the distant past. The Texas Legislature passed the “Statute of Repose” relating to construction work, providing that suit alleging defective construction work must be brought with-in ten years after substantial completion, cutting off the “tail” of discovery rule ex-posure. But every good act has unintend-ed consequences. “Consultants” approach project owners as the project’s tenth anniversary approaches, offering comprehensive re-view of the project for “failures” which might support legal action against the construction/design team. These inspec-tions may involve tests and standards never envisioned when the project was built. One example: water is force-fed into the cavities between a brick veneer and exterior-grade sheathing, looking for evidence of leakage from the wall into the building. After testing, contractors must respond, possibly dismantle, in-spect and “repair” to new standards. Even where nothing is wrong, construction teams must expend resources to selec-tively disassemble, inspect, possibly cor-rect, and reconstruct the affected areas. It adds up!Document! Contractors can reduce exposure to these claims. First and foremost, effective documentation of work performed yields surprising benefits in these circumstanc-es. Walking the job, preserving progress photographs, and saving this informa-tion reduces losses in a couple of ways.

The process helps identify questionable work to be addressed right away. Of greater consequence, maintaining re-cords of how work was done, before it’s covered, helps defend against years-af-ter-completion claims. The ability to show, with photographs, what’s behind a wall or other structure can allow you to demonstrate proper construction, thus heading-off costly disassembly, inspec-tion and repair.Negotiate! Many contracts require removal and replacement of completed work on de-mand, often providing that removal and replacement will be at your expense un-less you “prove” that the work in place was all performed flawlessly. The ex-pense of removal and replacement should be yours only if the work is proven to have been performed defectively. Retain records Maintain project files for the entire Statute of Repose period. You should have complete records for each project you build to a period of at least ten years past the substantial completion of the entire project - conservatively, until 12 years after completion. Digital storage eases this burden. Failing to maintain such records creates problems; first, if you don’t document what happened, you’re stuck with someone else’s “story” of the project - the general contractor, the project owner, or the project archi-tect - rather than how things actually happened. Photographs, as-built draw-ings, field directives, RFI’s and e-mails all help when problems arise after project completion. Such records also help es-tablish which insurance carrier must de-fend against claims lodged down the road. Avoid the trap of multiple carriers denying responsibility for your claim, be-cause you can’t prove what was done, and when. Ironically, the Statute of Repose, in-tended to reduce claims after completion of projects, has inspired consultants and their often-conjured claims. Attempted reform of the Statute of Repose in this year’s legislative session appears to have stalled. Aggressively negotiating contract terms, and maintaining project records for a long time, are burdensome mea-sures, but their dividends can be signifi-cant. Again, the ounce of prevention can deliver a pound of cure.


In memoriamLouis Michael Silver, Gillette Air Conditioning, passed away May 5 after a long battle with Glib-lastoma Multiforme Cancer. Born Nov. 19, 1973 in Kenner, LA to Albert and Antoinette Silver, he was 41 years old. He started at Gillette in 2006 as a technician and became a lead technician, working many jobs including Northview Tower and Callaghan Tower chiller installs. He was always available to help technicians, and even came into work periodically after he was diagnosed to train assist technicians on jobs that he would nor-mally have been servicing. He fought hard following his diagnosis in 2013 and was respected and will be missed by his coworkers and colleagues. Survivors include his wife, Michelle; four children, Korbin, Ashton, Kylie and Dominic; mother, Antoinette; siblings, Albert, Francesca and Anthony; and nu-merous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins. –mh

What would youdonate $1M to?

SAMMinistries, because [helping] the homeless is important to me. Thirty years ago, I was a founding organizer of a min-istry at San Francesco Church, our Italian church downtown in Little Italy, doing homemade Italian dinners for the home-less, and the homeless have become a big part of my heart. We’re still doing those dinners at Christmas. We have about 700 people that attend.

Mark Rizzo, RX Technology

Cancer. It has affected so many people in our industry, and my sister is fighting for her life right now. So, it would be number one.

Vincent Real, Big State Electric

If I only had it to give to one, I would give it to Daily Bread Ministries here in San An-tonio. They’re not as well known as the San Antonio Food Bank, but it’s a charity that’s really near and dear to my heart. They’re awesome people, and they feed a lot of people – not just in San Antonio, but some of the surrounding counties, even some of the churches that come from the valley. They could feed a lot more if they had more donations.

Jerry MulderMr. Rooter of San Antonio

The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, be-cause my brother [Stephen] was para-lyzed. That’s the charity that has meant the most to me so far. They’re doing the most work in curing paralysis. It was also neat – last year when they had the ice bucket challenge, I told everybody on my Outlook list that if you donate to any charity, I’ll dump a bucket of ice on my head. So I had over a hundred buckets of ice – it was painful. But if people gave me money, but didn’t specify a charity, then it all went to the Miami Project. It was about $1,300 that we raised.

John Tezel Tezel & Cotter Air Conditioning

World Help, The Children of the World. This organization is great! It fosters the

love of Christ, consistency in the day-to-day life as a kid and provides a feeling of self-worth through their talents. They help kids in third world countries with food and shelter. Back in 2014, we hosted two little boys, Ronald from Uganda and Akash from Nepal. It was such an eye opening experience! They were orphans, but they sang for the Children of the World choir, which allowed them to trav-el the world to sing and then they are guaranteed a spot for further education and to go to college.

Angelica Coronado, Tejas Premier Building Contractor

I would probably donate to the James William Little Charitable Foundation. It’s a Parkinson’s foundation that we started a couple of years ago. A friend of ours has Parkinson’s. So, we’ve thrown a couple fundraisers for him. I think, in two years, we’ve raised over $500,000. He’s just a great person that was affected with Par-kinson’s and that’s become his mission. I see how hard he works for that, so that’s where I’d donate it.

Sam NunnellyWatson Nunnelly

I don’t know about a specific charity, but anything to help with the cure for cancer. Both my dad and my mother-in-law were diagnosed on the first of the year. It prob-ably wouldn’t help them, but it would help the future.

Don Watson, Watson Nunnelly

I would probably give it to some type of organization that deals with the physi-cally and mentally handicapped.

Nathan McGannYantis Company

I would give it to my local church, where my wife and I got married, the Methodist church in New Braunfels. I feel like they do a lot of good things for the communi-ty. I feel like they can reach out and touch a lot more hands than I could.

David Delgado1st Plumbing Services

Just plumb fun

The Plumbing Heating Cooling Con-tractors (PHCC) San Antonio Chap-ter and the American Society of

Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) Central Texas Chapter hosted their third annual joint Golf Tournament Apr. 30 at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort. This year’s event drew 90 golfers and featured 15-inch cups at six of the holes, the “Golden Throne” longest drive com-

petition, a putting contest, Tiger Drive and hole-in-one competitions. –mh

Winners1st Gross: Jason Horn and Mike Baird, Gunn Commercial Fleet1st Net: Brad Silver and Hunter Gordon, Hughes SupplyLongest Drive: Hunter Gordon

Jimmy Shafer (left), Shafer Services, won the Putting Contest,

sponsored by Milwaukee Tool.

Greg Hammer, PEPCO Sales &

Marketing, was just one of the players who took a swing

at the longest drive from the seat of the

event’s infamous Golden Throne.


For 11 years now, brothers Ray, Da-vid and Joe Luna have been run-ning their own commercial glazing

company, Champion Glass. The first five years of the business went smoothly, and then in 2010, the re-cession started to weigh on the glass con-tractor. Around 2013, the downturn start-ed to level out and then late last year, the brothers started to see encouraging signs that the economy was improving as con-struction activity has been on the rise. Champion does everything except residential and auto glass. They fabricate and install framing and glass, and they mainly do new construction. A few ex-amples of the types of commercial work they do are storefronts, entrances, revolv-ing doors, ribbon windows, slope walls and curtain walls. They also do some inte-rior finish out work, including heavy glass doors and mirrors. Ray Luna points out that a commer-cial window is different from a residential window. “A commercial window is brought into our shop in lengths,” explains Luna. “We measure the opening. We cut those lengths and fabricate the window in our shop, and then deliver it to the jobsite to

L-R: Brothers Ray, David and Joe Luna started their ownglass contracting company in March 2004.

They are the champions

For the first time since Tezel & Cotter Air Conditioning became Tezel & Cotter, there is only one person at

the helm of the company, its president, John Tezel. Originally founded by William E. Eb-ert as Ebert Air Conditioning in 1932, the company was purchased by Otto E. Tezel, John’s grandfather and Ebert’s plumbing foreman, and R.P. Cotter, a mechanical engineer. In 1964, Paul Tezel joined the company as service manager, and in 1968, the same year R.J. Cotter joined the company’s construction de-partment, John was born to Paul and Bar-bara Tezel. For his first job at 16, John started working summers as a laborer for his family’s company. On his first day, he re-calls moving ductwork from one building to another in 90-degree heat. While attending the University of Texas, he worked summers for the high-way department and for a small business at Stinson Airport. Tezel & Cotter had a project in Austin at the time, and he worked that job at night while going to class during the day. When John graduated from UT in 1994 with his degree in business man-agement, there was talk of buying out partner R.J. Cotter. The buyout came Jan. 1, 1995, and John joined the family busi-ness full-time, coming into the office as a project manager. After a while, John took on the title of vice president, running the company with his brother, Stephen Tezel, who was president. When his brother’s health began to fail, John became presi-dent, and Stephen became vice presi-dent until he passed away in 2012. John says the experience of running the company on his own required some adjustment. “It’s quite bizarre, because now it’s just me,” he says. “So, it took me a little while to figure out. Now, there is no one else to pass it off to. I’ve got to do what has to be done or it doesn’t get done. Now, I’ve just been trying to run the com-pany the way I want it to be run: good quality, hopefully good people, treat people right, try to keep people around and make more of a team.” While he is running solo at work, he is far from it at home. John and his wife, Sanjuana, have three children. His oldest, Aiden, is in seventh grade, plays baseball and is in band. His oldest daughter Alee-na, 11, and youngest Alanya, 9, are in-volved with cheerleading and tumbling. Their family is very involved with their church, Grace Lutheran. John and his wife met through the church as chil-dren and were married there later in life, carrying on a family tradition. His grand-parents on both sides and his parents were married there, too. –mh

Taking on air

John Tezel, president and third-generation leader of Tezel & Cotter Air Conditioning

get installed. After the window framing is installed, then the glass goes in it.” They also do frosting and what is called deco glass, where an image or de-sign is created within the glass. One of their recent projects, the Henry B. Gonza-lez Convention Center renovation, called for drawings of figures within the glass. Such projects can take a couple of

months, because there is a long process involved, but Luna says the process isn’t much different than printing on paper. In fact, he notes, “Anything that can be printed on a piece of paper can be put into a piece of glass. The artwork is actu-ally printed on a plastic inner layer and then that inner layer is sandwiched be-tween two pieces of glass.” –mh

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With around 245 people working on roughly 25 projects out of the San Antonio headquarters

for Big State Electric, the electrical con-tractor needed room to grow. In mid-April, the company moved from North St. Mary’s Street to 8923 Aero St. Vincent Real, president, describes the transition as smooth and efficient: “We shut down Friday at 1 o’clock, and we were up and running by Saturday at noon.” In the last few years, as Big State grew, they hired more people in adminis-tration and management. At the former location, space in and around the build-ing was very tight. Big State was sur-rounded mostly by residential property with no room for expansion. At the new facility, operations run out of two sepa-rate buildings: the office and the ware-house. Real notes that the new office space is intended to be highly functional and

Lights are bright off Broadway

user friendly. Also, the lighting is all green – environmentally speaking. From the in-terior to the exterior to the parking lot, the lights are 100 percent LED. With Big State doing more prefab, the new warehouse now affords them more room for this, as well as an area for the mechanic to work on equipment and vehicles. An area dedicated to storage for large projects allows them to bring in materials and equipment to be on hand and ready to install before the job starts. Also, Big State now has a yard to bring in equipment and office trailers when they are no longer needed on the jobsite. Realizing the need for Big State to grow, Real began searching for a new loca-tion about two-and-a-half years ago and found it in September of last year. Big State is still centrally located and the city is very accessible with them so close to 410 and 281. Being off Broadway, several of the electrical suppliers in the area that support Big State in its services are nearby. –mh

Vincent Real, president of Big State Electric, stands in the part of the new office he refers to as the “plan room/war room.”

The San Antonio office of LPA, Inc., formerly OCO LPA, hosted an open house May 13 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the California-based firm. –mh

An open door by design

L-R: Carlos Constantino, Stephen Lara and Jim Oppelt, LPA; Jim Selby,East Central Independent School District, Don Pender, LPA

L-R: James Saenz, Kencon Constructors; George Torres III and Jim Oppelt, LPA;Laurence Garcia, Kencon Constructors; Vitali Pushkar-Verbitsky, LPA


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

FISHING AND HUNTING TRIPS

STEVE SCHULTZ OUTDOORS, LLC

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

www.baffi [email protected]

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

Jesse O. Garcia’s Red Stag is finally home after a year! Garcia harvested this Red Stagin June 2014 in Wanganui, New Zealand. Garcia said it was a safe and fun trip.

Garcia works for MPS Construction & Design. –cw

Finally home!Submitted to Construction News

Tournaments forthe future

by Capt. Steve Schultz

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

Construction, Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor, Aggre-gate Haulers, ForEverlast Hunting and Fishing Products

and Columbia Sportswear

Fishing tournaments are becoming more popular than ever. Whether it’s freshwater or saltwater it seems like there is a tournament to fit every angler’s

level of competitiveness. While some tournaments are for fun, most benefit a charity organization or perhaps some of our soldiers returning from war, or maybe a family in need. Redfish, trout, bass, offshore or inshore – there is a tournament for you. With all the conservation concerns and limits on trophy fish being implemented, tournaments are taking a different approach. Weigh-ins consisting of limits of trout, reds, and flounder are part of the past and being replaced with three to four trout, a redfish or two and maybe a flounder. There are a few tournaments going even farther than that incorporating a live fish weigh-in to their venue. All the professional redfish tourneys are live weigh-in, and the trout tourna-ments in late winter and spring also have gone to this format.

One tournament that has grown in popularity and con-servation efforts and has proven that everyone can benefit from our bays and estuaries is the Mr. & Mrs. Big Trout Tournament run by Doug and Cindy Niznik of San Antonio. The tournament started in 1996 as a bass tour-nament but after two years it was moved to the Laguna Madre and converted to a saltwater venue. I started fishing the tournament in 1998 with a handful of friends (eight-10 boats) and by 2004 there were approximately 35 teams fishing. During that time the tournament im-plemented a live weigh-in procedure in efforts to start

conserving fish following the format of Tom Nix’s Baffin Bay Bash.

By 2005, the tournament outgrew the cabin near Bird Island and Doug moved the tournament inland. This was a great move making the tournament even more popular and easier to accommodate more anglers. By 2007, the tournament took bigger conservation efforts and only allowed three fish per team to be brought to the dock. The stringer would consist of one red, one trout and one flounder, all to be weighed-in alive to re-ceive a half-pound bonus per fish if accomplished. The tournament grew larger every year and by 2008 the tournament began to give back even more. A $6000.00 scholarship fund to be rewarded to a Texas A&M (Cor-pus Christi) student majoring in Marine Biology was announced. People were starting to take notice of this little fishing tournament making BIG efforts in conserva-tion and generosity back to the community. By 2014 the women anglers were starting to make noises that they wanted a part of the action so a woman’s tournament was started that year the day before the men’s tourna-ment. That year the tournament awarded two $6000.00 scholarships to a male and female at Texas A&M.

This year was no surprise as the Mr. & Mrs. Big Tourna-ment has grown in popularity. The ladies tournament had 12 (four-person) teams participating while the men’s tournament had 51 (four-person) teams. In all, they only killed 16 fish, 13 being trout, and one red, and two floun-der. Seventy four fish were released, 32 trout, 26 reds, and 16 flounders. These are pretty good numbers in my opinion considering most of the other tournaments that still have fish kill weigh-ins. Again, two $6000.00 scholar-ships to a male and female at Texas A&M. This brings a total of $60,000 in scholarship money donated to kids for the future. My hats of to Doug and Cindy and all the many sponsors and anglers who participate in this awe-some tournament. I only wish that some of the other tournaments would take the effort to join the conserva-tion efforts so we can enjoy our precious resources for a long time.

To schedule your next bay fishing trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-813-3716 or 361-334-3105 or e-mail him at [email protected]. Good luck and Good Fishing.

Ken Major, San Antonio, caught this 30-inch trout fishinglive croaker near the mouth of Baffin Bay. Fishing was

weighed, measured then released by Capt. Steve Schultz.

Keith Tull, Athens, TX, caught a redfish of a lifetime. Fish measured 47 inches and was an estimated at 35lbs. Keith was fishing in Baffin Bay with Capt. Steve Schultz. Fish was

released after measurements for a replica mount.

Hosted by

26th AnnualFunshoot

Saturday, August 8, 2015National Shooting Complex

to benefi t SA YouthFor Information,contact Cindy Niznik(210) 497-8121


The second annual Mr. & Mrs. Big Trout Scholarship Tournament, hosted by Niznik Concrete, was

held Apr. 30 to May 2 in Corpus Christi. The fundraiser welcomed 252 anglers and contributed to a scholarship fund for students studying marine biology at Tex-as A&M University in Corpus Christi. –mh

WinnersAmateur Women’s Division

Mrs. Big Stringer1st: No Bueno – JR Thomas, Sheila Ama-son, Kacie Weber, Kristi Caron2nd: Team Chata – Daniel Garcia, Monica Garcia, Annette Garcia Tynan, Monica Garcia3rd: Hard Head Hookers – Ryan Cantu, Amanda Trejo, Brooke Sharp, Christina ShadrockMrs. Big Redfish1st: No Bueno2nd: Team ChataMrs. Big Flounder1st: No Bueno2nd: Happy Hookers – Chandler Faickney, Caitlyn Coz3rd: Hard Head Hookers

Mrs. Big Trout1st: Bite ME 2 – Colton Nichols, Lori Hidy, Sheridan Hidy2nd: YOLO for Reel – Paul Murry, Tori Mur-ry, Terri Lynn, Kacie Lynn3rd: Hard Head Hookers

Pro Women’s DivisionMrs. Big Stringer1st: Beavers with Bait – Ed Patton, Yvonne Patton, Daine Mahan, Melissa Mahan2nd: Hook ‘em Hard Oilfield Style – Allen Sifford, Tawnya Woods, Jana James, Pam Lonsbury3rd: Fishing Winas – Adrian Woschnagg, Judy Arnold, Tina Gomez, Sandra Calder-onMrs. Big Redfish1st: Beavers with BaitMrs. Big Flounder1st: Hook ‘em Hard Oilfield StyleMrs. Big Trout1st: Beavers with Bait2nd: Fishing Winas3rd: Hook ‘em Hard Oilfield Style

Amateur Men’s Division

Mr. Big Stringer1st: Johnston (BYOB) – Ben Johnston, Da-vid Campbell, Mickel McGrath, Cary Mat-ney2nd: Hookin Buddies – JR Thomas, Dustin Overstreet, Chris Jones, CT Vanek3rd: All In – Kevin Murry, Steve Neal, Mike Maule, Byron FischerMr. Big Redfish1st: All In2nd: We-Knee Deep – Richard Winkler, Cecil Sorsby, Jason Boney, Rodney Mar-bach3rd: Team Suncoast – Orlando Gamez, Donnie Meloni, Mercy Valejo, Bob Frank-lynMr. Big Flounder1st: Trout Drillers – Dustin Wiatrek, Rod-ney Ratley, Mike Monse, Shane Phillips2nd: Team 4 Reel – Art Soto, Jonathan Soto, Daniel Soto, Ray Mercado3rd: Trout Bombers – Joseph Trejo, Amanda Trejo, Ryan Cantu, David Curry

Mr. Big Trout1st: All Out – Dustin Durham, Justin Gar-cia, Jared Esley, Nick Kolenda2nd: Johnston (BYOB)3rd: Trout Bombers

Pro Men’s DivisionMr. Big Stringer1st: Team T&B – Jeremiah Jones, Casey Pearce, Mike Fry, Ruben Cisneros2nd: Team Illusion – Jeff Spanley, Steve Reupke, Paul Braly3rd: Polish Pluggers – Tanner Moy, Tres Moy, Blaise Moy, Brad LyssyMr. Big Redfish1st: Team Illusion2nd: Team MM – Scott Nixon, Leland Stennett, Scuba Steve, Waylen Crisp3rd: Team T&BMr. Big Flounder1st: Shorthanded – Robert Brown, Brian Childress, Tobin Stillwell, Chad Childress2nd: Iced UP – Brad Urbanczyk, Darryl Schneider3rd: CL Concrete #2 – Capt. Morgan, Ja-son Gilstrap, Ernie Anderson, Chase Hoff-man

Plenty of fish in the Gulf

1st Place: Mrs. Big Flounder, Women’s Amateur Division

1st Place: Mr. Big Flounder, Men’sAmateur Division

1st Place: Mr. Big Redfish, Men’s Pro Division

1st Place: Mrs. Big Redfish, Women’s Pro Division

Mr. Big Trout1st: Team T&B2nd: Shorthanded3rd: Polish Pluggers

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

Well it didn’t forget how to rain af-ter all! Over the last several weeks we have been blessed

with the first good rains in an awfully long time. For those of you who are get-ting too much rain, I hope you come through it all right. For the rest of us though, I think it has been a long sigh of relief.

I know of several Texas lakes and rivers that have really benefitted from the re-cent rains and began to recover from the damage of the drought. Others like Lakes Buchanan and Travis still have a long way to go. Buchanan is still awaiting its turn at a good storm over the watershed to get the Colorado River rolling again, but at least the upper Hill Country is getting wetter by degrees so we can start to see significant runoff from future storms. For now we wait…and FISH!

You ever notice how you see lots of earth-worms and bugs on the top of the ground after a good rain? A fisherman sees that

and knows it’s a good day to call in sick and go fishing! When the fish bait is try-ing to crawl in the truck with you, how can you resist? You just know all those worms and grubs and bugs are being

Daviscourt, from Horizon Construction, Inc., Roofing Specialists in Austin

RAIN!

washed into the creeks, rivers and lakes and the fish are waiting for them with open mouths!

If your favorite lake has caught a lot of

water, enjoy the rush of the new water while you can. After a few days you might see a lull in the fishing as the water gets a little sour while newly flooded vegeta-tion decays. Don’t worry though, once that’s done there will be lots of good nu-trients in the water that will cause an al-gae bloom which begins the process of recharging your lake from the bait fish on up to the game fish. Great fishing ahead!If your lake is a little slow on the uptake, keep praying your turn for rain will come and enjoy the fresh, cool water you do get, because I promise you, the fish will enjoy it, especially with summer starting to heat up.

By the way hunters, can you imagine how much this rain is helping the game popu-lation? The timing is perfect to benefit the new fawns and bucks growing ant-lers. We all share in the bounty of the rain.

Try not to curse the rain, even if it ruins your day. Take a moment to feel the rain on your face and just say “Thanks”. It’s just been so long coming.


Tom Quintero, IBTX, and Saul Ro-bles, Robles 1, along with a group of riding friends, took a trip out to

Big Bend National Park Apr. 23-26. The bike ride along Highway 90, the chosen scenic route, took approximately 12 hours from Cornerstone Church in San Antonio to the hotel in Terlingua. Dubbed “the Big Bend Extravagan-za,” the trip was the first time to Big Bend for Quintero and Robles, who were in awe of their surroundings. Noting that the weather was fantastic, Quintero de-scribes the scenery as breathtaking and amazing, and at night, he says the stars almost appeared within reach. He also enjoyed the history of the region with haunted towns and ghost towns that have been there since the early 1800s. While in Terlingua, they also saw a Dutch film crew shooting a movie. “Next year, I’ll be older, and I will probably trailer my bike up there and drive, because I’m getting too old to make that run,” says Quintero. “But I’m glad I made [the trip] before I was too old to ride.” –mh

What comes around the bend

Tom Quintero and Saul Robles got to experience Big Bend National Park

for the first time.

Tom Quintero pulls over at a bend in the road at Big Bend National Park

The group of friends riding their bikes through the park find the best ofboth worlds – green trees and red desert.

Quintero (left) and a fellow rider hang out with a breathtaking view of a canyon in Big Bend.

210-587-7634www.GPSofTexas.com


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Mary Hazlett, San Antonio editor for Construction News, and her husband, David, traveled to Paris

in early May as part of the celebration of their first wedding anniversary. On this special adventure, they visit-ed the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and the Musee D’Orsay and explored Montmar-tre and the Latin Quarter, areas rich in cul-

The French love connectionture and history frequented by Vincent Van Gogh, Ernest Hemingway and Jean-Paul Sartre among many others. The highlight of the trip was a guided tour of Mont St. Michel, an island monument a few hours west of Paris surrounded by a sandy bay and idyllic French countryside. –mh

Mary and David Hazlett on the banks of the Seine with a view of Notre Dame Cathedral

Mont St. Michel, an UNESCO World Heritage site and island on the coast of Normandy,is home to a 12th century Romanesque abbey and small village.

The Eiffel Tower beautifully illuminatedin the City of Light

The Louvre and I.M. Pei’s iconic pyramids under hazy moonlight

Sacre-Coeur Basilica, at the top of Montmartre, is the secondhighest point in the city after the Eiffel Tower.

A golden Joan of Arc looks out onto Tuileries Gardens at sunset.


Charli Valadez, director of business development/marketing, has a productive

day at the Smith & Co. Architects Austin office. The firm provides design and project

management services. –ab

Making thingshappen


Angelica Coronado, Tejas Premier Building Contractor, had “an unplanned adventure”with her children, Luca, Francesca and Leila, on Mother’s Day. Her passenger tire had to bereplaced and with hungry and restless little ones in tow, she trekked to a nearby Chinese

restaurant where they enjoyed a great lunch and complimentary turtle cheesecake for Mother’s Day. “The photo pictures them with full bellies, feeling blessed that we have each

other to fill in the gaps, especially when things don’t always go as planned!” –mh


A Mother’s Day blessing

SAN ANTONIOQUAIL COALITION

Thursday, August 27, 2015Doors Open at 5:30 pm

Leon Springs Dance Hall24135 IH-10 West

SAVE THE DATE

To reserve your tableor tickets, call

Robert (210) 663-1158Helen (210) 884-3712

For The Best ConservationBanquet in San Antonio

The month of May can always be counted on for a few things in San Antonio: the onset of summer heat and the day its mandatory to wear your best

Hawaiian shirt, which was of course the SpawGlass 18th annual Luau May 21 at Blue Bonnet Palace in Selma. –mh

A feast fit for Kamehameha

L-R: Chuck Calvin, SpawGlass; Steve Campbell, Campbell & Associates; Ruby Trejo and Steven Schultz, ABC

L-R: Courtney, Candace and Sandi Wilhelm,Mesquite Interiors

L-R: Nicole Krueger, Williams Scotsman,and Kathleen Shanahan, Harris Rebar

Vincent and Donna Real, Big State Electric

L-R: Larry Ybarra, Service Shade Shop; Jon Randolph,Baker Traingle; Dennis Yanowski, Marek Bros.

L-R: Tami Traugott, Traugott Inc.; John Hootand Jordon Brown, Quality Fence & Welding

L-R: Denis St. Pierre and John Wright, Alterman;Robert Payne, Project Control

L-R: Dave Charest, SpawGlass; Louis Garciaand Jacob Somerville, Speedway Erection


The Associated Supply Company (ASCO) San Antonio location host-ed its fourth annual Charity Car and

Bike Show and BBQ Cook-Off May 16. The fundraiser drew 10 barbecue teams, 37 cars and 17 bikes. More than 300 barbe-cue plates were sold. Every year, ASCO employees vote on a charity to support as a company, and this year’s events are raising funds for the Houston and Galveston Shriners Hospi-tals for Children. ASCO will match the amounts each branch raises dollar for dollar. The early estimates for the San An-tonio event is $15,000, which means ASCO will donate a total of $30,000 from the San Antonio branch alone. –mh

Driven to help children

1st Place Chicken and 1st Place Brisket: Hubert Mills, Super Gringos

1st Place Ribs: Double Barrel BBQ

Car Club Trophy: The Camaro Club

Motorcycle Club Trophy: The Liberators MC Club

Though this kid’s methods could be considered cheating, victim Kyle Smith,

ASCO San Antonio branch manager,seems like he enjoyed taking a dive inthe dunk tank. After all, it’s all in good

fun for a good cause.

The Car and Bike Show welcomed an array of classic cars and bikes that drew many admirers.


Expanding to San Antonio

Novidesa, a Pharr-based company that produces high-density Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) panels, opened a location in San Antonio in May and had a grand opening celebration. –cw


A meal with four courses

Gasoline – On Road Diesel – Off Road DieselOn Site Fueling – Wet Hosing – Temporary Loaner Tanks

We Loan City Approved UL-2085 Vaulted Tanks

210-666-6002Brent & Mark Marshall

The Associated General Contractors (AGC) San Antonio Chapter drew 134 shooters to the annual Fun

Shoot at the National Shooting Complex May 15. Architectural Division 8 cooked fajitas and sausage wraps for the partici-pants. –mh

Photos by Mary C. Haskin Photography

WinnersBest Overall Score: Doug Mercer, Zurich Surety (50)

Red Course1st: Ish Garcia, E-Z Bel Construction (50)2nd: Perry George, Boulder Contracting Co. (50)3rd: TJ Rogers, Bartlett Cocke General Contractors (47)

White Course1st: Erek Stone, TD Industries (48) 2nd: David Schlameu, Zurich Surety (46)3rd: Joe Brophey, Zurich Surety (46)

Blue Course1st: Lawton Bean, San Antonio Masonry & Tool Supply (50)2nd: Tom Quintero, IBTX Risk Services (49)3rd: Roberto Guzman, San Antonio Ma-sonry & Tool Supply (46)

Green Course 1st: Vince Leggett, Labor Finders (45)2nd: Lew Curatelo, Labor Finders (43)3rd: Patrick Mabry, Climatec (43)

Women’s Class 1st: Courtney Issac, Climatec (28)

The Operation Comfort Golf Tourna-ment Apr. 25 drew 88 players to the Flying L Guest Ranch in Bandera.

The annual event is hosted and orga-nized by Tim Reininger with the support of the company where he works outside sales, Crawford Electric Supply. The fundraiser brought in just over $3,000 to support wounded veterans re-covering at SAMMC and the VA in San An-tonio. This year’s event brought in an esti-mated 16 percent more than last year’s tournament. –mh

Golf and good will

L-R: Wayne Kotzur and Scott Shaver

Winners:

1st: Michael Woody, Ryan Hill, Mike Moi-se, Matt Town2nd: Wayne Kotzur, Scott Shaver, Joseph Dorn, Keith Holm3rd: Mike Coons, Tim Reininger, Bobby Stanley, Joe HuffClosest to the PinMen’s: Jimmy ObuchLadies’: Josephine Herring

1st Place – Red Course

1st Place – White Course

1st Place – Blue Course

1st Place – Green Course

9018 Tesoro Suite 101San Antonio, Texas 78217

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

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Memorial Day is a federal holiday for remembering those who died

while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. This day is observed every year on the last Monday in May.

Zachry Construction isseeking a Construction Scheduler at its offi ce in

San Antonio, Texas.

MS or equivalent inConstruction Science or

Civil Engineering required. Any suitable combination of

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Send resumes to:Zachry Construction Corp.

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The Texas Society of Professional Sur-veyors (TSPS) Alamo Chapter 11 held its 18th annual Scholarship

Fundraiser Golf Tournament Apr. 23 at the Quarry Golf Course. –mh

Winners:1st: Jay Young; Henry Kuehlem, Kuehlem Surveying; Dave Ellis, Sherwood Survey-ing; Jim Russell

Survey says… FORE!

1st Place

2nd: Mike Romans, Jones & Carter; Butch Evans, Unintech; Jeremy Doege, LAN; Ja-son Mosely, Sherwood Surveying3rd: Joe Rodriguez, Jim Bryant, Steve Cady, Mark CromwellLongest Drive: Henry KuehlemClosest to the Pin: Jeremy Doege

Winners1st Net: 2M Lighting – Alan Giroux, Doug Merrill, Brent Lane, Zack Merrill1st Gross: ArchComm/Tschoepe Design – Gary Thompson, Dick McGee, Daniel Patrick DeLeon, Tim CaletkaClosest to the Pin #1: Tom Friesenhahn

Taking on the green together

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) San Antonio Chapter, the American So-ciety of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and Acme Brick hosted their joint Scholar-ship Golf Tournament May 4 at Silverhorn Golf Club. –mh

Closest to the Pin #2: Mark JonesClosest to the Pin #3: Brent LaneClosest to the Pin #4: Doug MerrillLongest Putt #15: James FranklinLongest Drive #18: Will Bernhard

L-R: Alan Giroux, Doug Merrill, Brent Lane, Zack Merrill accept their awards prizefor first place net from Torrey Carleton, AIA executive director.

Longest Drive #18 Closest to the Pin #2

More than 400 attendees tore into some smokin’ hot barbecue at the American Subcontractors Association (ASA) San Antonio Chapter’s 2015

Subfest & BBQ Cook-Off May 1 at Raymond Russell Park. Guests brought their families to enjoy barbecue, music, raffle prizes, live and silent auctions, face painting and balloons. –mh

Friday night bites

1st Place Chicken: Trade Management2nd: Dulaney Exteriors 3rd: Jamail & Smith Construction

Best Camp: Alamo Crane Service

1st Place Bloody Mary: Wortham Insurance & Risk Management/Vision Construction

1st Place Mystery Meat: Baker Triangle2nd: Fazio Floors

3rd: Alamo Crane Service

1st Place Washer Tournament: Western States FireProtection nd: Dwight Randolph, Atlantic

Aviation/Mark Stanush, SAPD 3rd: Allen & AllenMEMCO and Allen & Allen Co.

1st Place Ribs: Yates Construction2nd: Bartlett Cocke 3rd: MK Marlow

1st Place Brisket: Dedicated Landscape2nd: Bartlett Cocke 3rd: Yates Construction


Swinging into the evening

The Associated General Contractors (AGC) San Antonio Chapter’s Construction Leadership Forum (CLF) hosted the third annual Night Golf Tournament with 36 players turning out for the event May 1 at the Alamo Golf Club. –mh

L-R: Andrew Joseph, Jacklyn Rudd, Carlos Garcia, John Cole Jaskina

Sidney Hollings, Jonathan Hawkins, Chris Martinez, Donovan Rhone

Relax and repair

The International Concrete Repair In-stitute (ICRI) South Central Texas, North Texas and Houston chapters

gathered May 15-16 at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Bastrop for the second annual ICRI Texas State Conference. On Friday, guests waited out an af-ternoon thunderstorm that briefly inter-rupted play at the golf outing to Pine For-est Golf Club and enjoyed a barbecue feast. On Saturday, three educational ses-sions were held in the morning, followed by a buffet lunch and a board meeting for all chapter leaders. “We had some great technical ses-sions by John Ziebell about the pioneers in the grouting industry, and Scott DiSte-fano, who presented a program on ‘Di-mensional Stability for Cement-Based Materials,’” recalls Dan Wicht, president-elect of the South Central Texas Chapter.

A Texas barbecue feast, including ribs, brisket and sausage, followed the golf tournament.

“ICRI has great technical guides on con-crete repair and a wealth of knowledge in our membership. “ICRI aids in helping the generations to come by giving scholarships to stu-dents in the concrete industry. The last presenter of the day was Dr. John Schem-mel, PhD, who really tied this all together by updating attendees on the CIM [Con-crete Industry Management] Program at Texas State University.” –mh

Golf Winners1st Team: Dan Wicht, Ed Carter, Mark Rawlings and Mackey Welch2nd Team: Gabriel Carrera, James Robbs, Mike Pocock, Keith Knobloch, Clay BroylesClosest to the Pin #7: Chris McDanielClosest to the Pin #10: Mark RawlingsMost Honest Team: Bill Light, Scott DiS-tefano and Mark LeMay

The South Texas Chapter’s Western Specialty Contractors team claimed victory and firstplace team in the golf tournament by one stroke with its 8 under par score of 64.

With his background in residential construction, Joe Regalado is not a trucker, but as a

businessman, he seized the opportunity to start his own company, Jarco Transport, exclusively servicing the construction industry. As CEO, Joe is a firm believer that his success can be attributed to the partner he has in his wife, Sofia Regalado, president of Jarco. She oversees all of the administrative work and the running of the business, while he does everything else. After working in construction for years, Joe left the industry to help in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. When he returned about seven years ago, he started Jarco. At 43, he is proud of what he has accomplished since starting the company, especially since he does not have a high school diploma. He started Jarco providing for all trucking needs on any construction site and has expanded into new services,

In it for the long haul

including land clearing, construction cleanup and demolition. “In the past two years, we hired an operations manager and a controller,” Joe says. “For me, the goal is to have management in place so that I can continue to expand in other businesses that complement the existing business.” On Apr. 1, they opened the first of those businesses, Texas Soil Resources, a materials company that allows them to provide dirt and rock for construction and landscaping purposes. They also make their own soil mixes. Based in Von Ormy, Jarco has grown to a fleet of about 30 trucks solely servicing the San Antonio area. Between Jarco and Texas Soil Resources, they have 35 employees. They also volunteer to help the community in Von Ormy and nearby Somerset. Every year, they organize a toy drive, complete with Santa Claus, for low-income families at the event center in Somerset. –mh

Husband and wife team Joe and Sofia Regalado are growingJarco Transport’s business and services.


Taking a shine to wine

continued from Page 1 — A retail Dominion

continued from Page 1 — The doctor is in(TEC)

continued from Page 1 — Positively charged

HOWELL CRANE& RIGGING, INC.

AUDIE HOWELLPresident

PHONE (210) 661-8285FAX (210) 661-7683

MOBILE (210) 862-53011-800-438-9814

HOME (210) 649-3726email: [email protected]

24-HOUR SERVICECRANES 15 TO 500 TON

P.O. BOX 200576SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78220

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) South Texas Chapter had its 3rd annual Wine Festival benefit-

ting the ABC UTSA Construction Man-agement Scholarship on Apr. 28 at the Boerne Wine Company in Boerne. Attendees enjoyed sampling some good wines at the unique venue for a good cause. –cw

Steven Schultz, ABC president, demonstrates how to get a taste of wine to Dallas Cloud,

Moore Erection.

L-R: Mike Grossman, The Bank of San Antonio, and Greg Allen, T & D Moravits

& Co. Concrete

Desi Valdez, Red Hawk Contracting and Denise Bendele, Padgett Stratemann & Co.

Kelly Foster, Gardner Law Firm, and Jon Randolph, Baker Triangle, check out the

good eats and the wine.

to six months, they plan around eight to 10 weather days. The build accumulated more than 60 weather days, which is a delay equivalent to about three months. The shell building RED HAWK erect-ed is tilt-wall with conventional steel. The exterior included elements of stone, roof tile, stucco and canvas awnings. The com-pleted project includes about 100 park-ing spaces and a dumpster enclosure. Some tenants have already put up signage. The retail space will be home to Diesel Barber Shop, Klassy Nails and Carl’s Cleaners, among other businesses. The remaining space was still being leased out when we spoke with RED HAWK and may be divided further. “I believe the building is very aes-

thetically pleasing,” says Shelley Delga-do, vice president of RED HAWK. “It has a lot of different architectural elements that complement the different compo-nents. It’s highly visible from I-10, and it has a lot of nice architectural qualities to the shell.” Noting that the architect, Open Stu-dio Architecture, did a really nice job, Valdez says that passersby have taken notice of the design. “People have called me to tell me it’s a very attractive building. [Residents] have mentioned on several occasions that they like the building very much – even other developers,” he said. The landscape architect was Rialto Studio, Inc. The engineering team in-cluded Pape-Dawson Engineers for civil, Lundy & Franke Engineering for struc-tural and GPM Engineering for MEP. The superintendent for RED HAWK was Den-nis Collette. Among the subcontractors on the job were The Chism Company for the canvas awnings, Impact Fire Services, Absolute Power for the electric, Bolin Plumbing, Ecko Concrete, Zinsmeyer Mechanical & Welding for fabrication of the structural steel and erecting the structural steel and the tilt wall, Thad Ziegler Glass for the storefront, Site Con-trol, AR Utilities for the water quality, C&K Landscaping, Al Franz Fence Co. for the guard rail and Quality Fence & Welding. RED HAWK Contracting Company, Inc. was established in 2007, specializing in pri-vate commercial fast track and design build projects. The company’s project experience includes religious facilities, retail, offices, hotels, restaurants, government, remodels and finish outs. –mh

The landscaping complements the natural-looking stone ofthe Dominion Retail Center’s exterior.

Watson Nunnelly is focused on com-mercial and light industrial. Watson has done data centers and hospitals, critical systems that represent some of the most complex electrical work out there, Wat-son points out. With this experience, they are focusing on this special niche as well as projects around the $500,000 to $1 million range. Current and upcoming projects include Methodist Hospital and Lackland Air Force Base. However, Watson and Nunnelly are not concentrating on projects or con-tracts they want to pursue; they are pur-suing relationships with general contrac-tors, many of whom Watson knows from his tenure in the industry and Nunnelly knows as a past president of the Associ-ated General Contractors (AGC) San An-

tonio Chapter. Nunnelly adds that Bill Gellhausen, a friend of theirs who is the former CFO of Alterman and is now with Alamo1, has been like an unofficial advisor, offering valuable information and perspective. “The electrical community has been really receptive,” comments Watson, re-garding getting the business off the ground. “I know a lot of electrical compa-nies from being a GC for two years, and I’ve talked to all of them, and they’ve said, ‘Don, if you need any help, just give us a call.’ Alan Giroux, who runs FSG in San Antonio, told me, ‘Don, we’re competi-tors, but we’re not enemies.’ There’s been a lot of support, which is surprising to me.” –mh

allows him to see how a particular struc-ture has withstood the test of time. They count this continuity as a big part of their core strength. “A lot of other disciplines depend on our output, the type of soils encountered and the recommendations we make,” says Murali Subramaniam, PhD, PE, an engineer who has been with the firm for nearly 15 years. “So, we take our work se-riously. And there’s a lot of subjectivity in the work, and that’s where the experi-ence comes into play.” InTEC of San Antonio covers three different steps in the initial stages of con-struction. The first time they get involved in a project would be to do a preliminary soil survey. Second, if it’s a single-family

project, they come in to do pavement studies. Lastly, they take on the role of geotechnical engineer, making recom-mendations for the type of foundation to the structural engineer. Subramaniam notes that they are particularly proud that their experience includes Morgan’s Wonderland and Toy-ota Field as well as the current SAWS de-salination project. Their work with the city and county came about after receiv-ing numerous certifications, including SBE, MBE, WBE, DBE and HUB. Their labs are also accredited with American Asso-ciation of State Highway & Transporta-tion Officials (AASHTO) and certified through AASHTO Materials Reference Laboratory (AMRL). –mh

Caroline and Carlos Elizondo, WG Yates Construction, enjoy a sample of wine

with delicious food.


HVAC and Plumbing

Replacement issues heat up

Jerry Mulder, PresidentMr. Rooter of San AntonioSan Antonio, TX

The Department of Energy’s new regulations con-cerning water heater efficiency might catch some

residential customers off guard when facing the already stressful circumstances of replacing their water heaters.

Jerry Mulder, president of Mr. Rooter of San Antonio, believes that education is the key. Currently, water heater service accounts for approximately 30 to 40 per-cent of calls received at Mr. Rooter. The Mr. Rooter team is taking these calls as opportunities to inform customers about the changes that went into effect Apr. 16. The changes are aimed to insulate these water heaters more efficiently, which means new water heaters are go-ing to be taller and wider. When home-owners need to replace their water heat-ers, they may find that the new water heaters manufactured to meet these new guidelines do not fit in the space that was built for their old ones. Most residential homes have a water heater that is 50 gal-lons or smaller, and these are the ones where space will become an issue. “Let’s say you’ve got a water heater that’s in the attic, and you have pull-down stairs to get into your attic space,” explains Mulder. “Let’s say it’s a 40-gallon

gas or electric water heater. Most of the time, homebuilders have built these houses to where these pull-down stairs are pretty much the same size as these water heaters. These new water heaters, being two inches wider and two inches taller, don’t fit in the space where their existing water heater is. “San Antonio has a lot of homes that were built with what we call a lowboy water heater. It’s a small compact electric water heater that is installed underneath a furnace most of the time. Well, these new ones will not fit [there]. So, we have a little bit of a problem.” As a limited solution to that problem, Mulder says that Mr. Rooter has stock-piled some of the older water heaters, which he’s sure other plumbing compa-nies have also done, since that size is not being manufactured anymore. The water heaters are legal to install, he assures, but once the supply houses run out, the ones that will still fit in those tight spaces will

no longer be available. “According to the government, they all have to be now manufactured to this new size,” he says. “And really, it’s affect-ing the residential customer on a scale that they’re not understanding yet. And that’s understandable. Your water heater tends to be out of sight, out of mind.” Since replacing the water heater may be problematic due to the new size, Mul-der emphasizes maintenance and taking good care of the one you have, because once it’s gone, customers will have the additional problem of deciding how to fit the new one. He recommends having a water heater drained twice a year or, at the very least, once a year, adding that it’s not just the hard water, it’s the sediment – sand and dirt particles in our water sys-tem accumulate in the bottom of the wa-ter heaters. When a homeowner does eventually need to replace their water heater, lots of questions arise, and Mulder encourages people to call and ask questions, saying, “That’s free,” and noting that he and his team will talk to anyone about what their options are. “There are all kinds of ways to get this done,” he says. “The customer needs to know that just because somebody comes out and says, ‘This new water heater is not going to fit in there, you’re out of luck,’ or ‘It’s going to cost thou-sands and thousands of dollars more,’ that’s not the case.

Some customers may prefer having a carpenter make adjustments so that the new water heater can fit in the same space as the old one. In that case, Mr. Rooter partners with other licensed and bonded contractors that will come out and help on a job if, for instance, it calls for a little bit of carpentry. Mulder says that one option that comes up is tankless technology. Tank-less water heaters take up less space and can be mounted up on a platform. He points out that this option is more expen-sive but saves space and requires less maintenance. Also, tankless water heat-ers are supplied by gas, so they also need to be vented. “They will have to ask themselves, ‘Am I going to need to think about relo-cating my water heater? What’s the cost associated with that? What’s the cost dif-ference between replacing this water heater, having to enlarge the opening to get this [new] water heater in there, ver-sus putting in a tankless?’” he explains. “Then they weigh out the maintenance issues between that conventional water heater and the tankless. “It’s an interesting situation that we have right now, because we’re going to be teachers to the public over the next few years, getting the public up to speed on this, because when people become aware, most of the time, it’s going to be when the water heater has a problem.” –mh

Important issues include population growth, skilled labor

Kenny, Tracy and Lee Faires, OwnersFaires Plumbing Co.Edinburg, TX

What is your opinion about the current state of the construction industry in South Texas/? We are a family owned business and it has been our experience over the years that construction is cyclical. Our company is mostly engaged in commercial/industrial plumbing in the Rio Grande Valley and we are optimistic about the next few years.

What factors are driving this opinion? The Rio Grande Valley is growing in population. That results in more construction.

What are the “hot button” issues in your industry? The shortage of skilled labor is an ongoing issue. As people retire, it seems there are no qualified people to take their spots.

Another issue is ongoing litigation. Insurance, immigration, the economy and competition are other topics we deal with.

What is on the horizon for your industry? Changes in technology, equipment, materials? The most notable change is in water heating efficiency. Laws coming through our legislature are requiring additional energy efficiency in material and equipment. This will be an additional cost to the consumer

Have there been any significant code changes in the last year? No, but the plumbing code is updated every three years and the 2015 code has not been adopted by Valley cities yet

With the recent emphasis on green building, what is the most environmentally friendly change relating to your industry? Lead free and asbestos free products, recycled materials and water conservation, along with energy efficient laws are working to make our finished product greener.

Do the new water restricting fixtures impact plumbing installation? Not really, provided the drain lines are installed properly. When the water saving fixture (toilets) were introduced using 1.6 gallons per flush, some manufacturers’ products didn’t work as well as others. But it seems that most have acceptable water saving fixtures now.

Is HVAC/Plumbing education available for those wishing to enter the industry? Yes, although there is more education available for HVAC than plumbing.

What are the cost increases relating to your industry? Fuel, vehicles, machinery, insurance and wages are the major costs and they are always going up, it seems.

What are the rewards of the industry? Providing a safe working environment for our employees and an excellent service for our customers. Experienced and dedicated employees, repeat customers and new referrals are our greatest rewards.

What are keys to being successful? It’s crucial to have a good team and be financially strong. We believe every person is important. This includes project and office management, direct job supervision, qualified and experienced plumbers, apprentices and laborers. Faires Plumbing Co. was established in 1927 and is family owned and operated. Since its inception, the company has evolved from a one-man operation to a competitor in the commercial plumbing business.

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HVAC and Plumbing

Technology, regulations,hot topics in HVACR IndustryPaul Stalknecht, , PresidentAir Conditioning Contractors of AmericaArlington, VA

The technology in the HVACR industry is constantly evolving and becoming more efficient. This is driven

by standards from the federal government, along with homeowners and building owners/operators looking to shrink their carbon footprint and save money on utilities.

The systems are also becoming more customer centric. Customers want to be able to have instant access to their sys-tems and to be able to control them re-motely. So, more and more manufactur-ers are developing apps for smartphones that integrate into the heating and cool-ing systems to meet this want from the customers. ACCA is spearheading an initiative to create universal diagnostic protocols for troubleshooting HVACR systems. The idea is to have a system similar to what the automotive industry has. That way, technicians have a device/tool that they can plug into any air conditioning or fur-nace, regardless of the brand, and it will return error codes that will easily allow them to diagnose the problem. This will lead to the technicians diag-nosing the problem quicker, which should lead to quicker resolution of the problem, creating happier customers, less system down time, and the ability for contractors to serve more customers. This initiative began earlier this year and there is a lot of interest in it from not only contractors, but also the leading manufacturers in the industry.

How has the R-22 refrigerant phase out affected the industry? The last few years of the HCFC phase out are progressing without much dra-ma. It’s the next steps for refrigerants in general that should be watched closely. The EPA is reviewing proposals to al-ter the Section 608 technician certifica-

tion program. This may bring some im-portant and necessary reforms to the program, like technician recertification and updated exam questions. The other big question is what will become the next effective and cheap refrigerant as the government begins to phase out HFC refrigerants.

Have there been any significant code changes in the last year? There are three code bodies that govern our industry: International Code Council (ICC), the International Associa-tion of Plumbing and Mechanical Offi-cials (IAPMO), and the National Fire Pro-tection Association (NFPA). All three of them put out documents detailing the major changes from cycle to cycle. ACCA has a Codes Committee that stays on top of each of these changes to ensure that contractors in the industry have their voices heard during the cre-ation and implementation of them.

What is the most significant challenge your industry faces? Labor shortages? Other? Our industry faces two major chal-lenges. The first is regulatory challenges from the federal government. The HVACR industry faces a lot of “known unknowns” from the federal government in the short term. The Department Of Energy is poised to finalize 17 new regulations on manufactures, distributors, and contrac-tors over the next two years. The EPA will

be looking at expanding the list of ap-proved refrigerants and may finally up-date the outdated Section 608 technician certification program. OSHA just an-nounced a new Confined Space in Con-struction rule that goes into effect later this year. The second is an aging workforce and the need to recruit more young workers into the industry. This challenge has been around for decades, so it’s noth-ing new to our industry. However, if we do not do something about it, it won’t get better. ACCA has renewed its efforts to help bring in two very important groups of people into our industry: high school stu-dents and military veterans. Earlier this year, we produced two short recruitment videos that are geared towards each of these groups. We are encouraging con-tractors to use these videos in their re-cruitment efforts. They are on the front lines recruiting new employees at job fairs and in vocational schools; so these resources can help show potential em-ployees that the HVACR and indoor envi-ronment industry has great opportuni-ties for a long, rewarding career. And, this summer we will be launching a new web-site to help with this as well, www.ie-3jobs.com.

What are keys to being successful? It’s said a lot in our industry, but it’s true. The best thing contractors can do to ensure their business is successful is to focus on the things they can control. That means focusing on strong business prac-tices, providing education and training opportunities to their teams, and getting involved. ACCA is here to help contractors achieve those goals on all of those levels. We have increased the number of train-ing opportunities available to contrac-tors. This fall, we are heading to Indianap-olis, IA., in October for two events that are aimed at contracting business man-agers. First, we are introducing a brand new event: the Office and Operations Manag-ers Forum. This event will focus on help-

ing your office team - the ones who keep things running smoothly in the office - improve their skills and increase produc-tivity for your entire team. And, of course, we are bringing back the Service Manag-ers Forum. It is one of our most popular events and has seen double digit atten-dance increases over the past three years. It will again be two days of learning and networking with top service manag-ers from across the country and some in-dustry experts that will help move your service operations to the next level of success. Mark your calendars now for Oct. 20-21 for the Office and Operations Managers Forum and Oct. 22–23 for the Service Managers Forum. And for those who just can’t leave their businesses for a few days, we offer plenty of online training resources. In 2012, we launched our Residential Design For Quality Installation online cer-tificate program. This online program mirrors the in-person class we hold at ACCA headquar-ters four times a year, but you can do it from your office or home, at your pace. And in 2015, we will be launching our Commercial Design For Quality Installa-tion online certificate program. Just like the residential program, it will give you the opportunity to get a full grounding of proper commercial design in compli-ance with the HVAC Quality Installation Specification. March 10–13, 2016, we will be heading to Charlotte, NC, for our Annual Conference and Expo: ACCA 2016 – the business solu-tions conference for indoor environment contractors will be a diverse learning lab program that covers almost every area of a contractors business. From commercial, residential, building performance, and hydronics topics to marketing, quality as-surance, leadership, and business opera-tions; there will be information that will help any contractor improve their opera-tions and bottom line. Mixed in with our learning labs are our MainStages, which will blow away anyone attending. Our MainStages fea-ture some of the best big picture thinkers in the country. In 2015, we featured Econ-omist and Futurist Lowell Catlett and Business Guru Michael Gerber. We are working on setting the lineup for 2016, and as always, it will feature some of the most in-demand speakers in the country. The MainsStages also include the CEO/Contractor Forum, where contrac-tors will get to directly ask the CEOs of major manufacturing companies the tough questions. And “What’s Your Prob-lem?” which will give contractors in the audience a chance to ask a panel of their contracting peers for advice on their big-gest obstacles at their business. The IE3: Indoor Environment & Ener-gy Expo is also taking place during this time. The expo will feature 200 manufac-turers, suppliers, and industry partners that are ready and willing to help con-tractors solve their biggest problems. Outside of training, ACCA has many ways that contractors can get involved. We have committees, taskforces, coun-cils, the ACCA-PAC, and more. Volunteer leaders help make the industry stronger and when we work together for the com-mon good, we all win. So, I would encourage everyone to get involved in 2015, because things aren’t going to slow down and we are go-ing to see even more regulations come from government agencies. –cw


HVAC and Plumbing

Bob Nichols, 88, passed away May 8 in Arlington. Nichols was a longtime executive at Freese

& Nichols, a Texas-based consulting firm offering engineering, architec-ture, environmental science, con-struction and planning services. During his 67-year career at Freese & Nichols, he served in sev-eral roles, most recently as President Emeritus, a position he held through this year. He primarily focused on en-vironmental engineering, coordinat-ing large-scale, multi-discipline and multi-consultant projects. He also served as Fort Worth chapter presi-dent, Texas society president and national president for the National Society of Professional Engineers. Nichols was an alumnus of Texas A&M University, where he earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering. Nichols is survived by his wife of 67 years, Frances, three children, six grandchildren, two great grand-children, and his brother Jim (Bil-lie). In lieu of flowers, donations are requested for the Bobby Nichols Jr. Scholarship fund, P.O. Box 1, Webb City, MO 64870.

In memoriam

Market and opportunities booming

Don McCallum, COOSkiHi Enterprises, Ltd.Fort Worth, TX

How would you describe the state of the construction industry in

general terms? Have you heard of an increase or slowdown in business? With the strong economic upturn in North Texas, many out-of-state business-es have packed up and moved their op-erations to the DFW area to take advan-tage of the favorable fiscal climate. As a result, we have seen a booming construc-tion market in the Metroplex for the past two or three years. While this boom has been great for local contractors, the wealth of opportunity has also enticed out-of-state contractors to enter the mar-ket for a piece of the pie. The entrance of these additional players has resulted in an increasingly competitive bidding en-vironment that is in constant flux. Although we are still seeing very fa-vorable conditions in the construction industry, the dip in oil prices over the last year has introduced a degree of uncer-tainty to the market. While we see plenty of upcoming work in the foreseeable ho-rizon, this trend is something to keep an

eye on in the coming months and years. With that said, we remain very optimistic about the future as Texas continues to present itself as an optimal venue for business development inside and out-side of the construction industry.

What factors are driving this? Oil and gas are still the kings here. When it stops to take a breath, so does our economy. That said, even with the re-cent downturn, the Texas market still re-mains one of the strongest in the country.

What are the “hot buttons” in your in-dustry? As the years go by, the influx of younger tradesmen has slowed and the aggregate age of our existing skilled workforce has gone up. With this in mind, steps need to be taken to encourage the younger generation to enter trade schools or to dive head first into the in-dustry as a helper and learn the skills nec-essary for success. While it is not always glamorous, the construction industry

provides a good living wage for compe-tent, hardworking people that choose to follow this path.

What is on the horizon for your indus-try? Most of us that have been in this business for a while have witnessed tre-mendous changes with improvements in technology. However, over the past five or six years, we have seen the technology being driven out of the office and into the field. One example of this is the 3-D laser scanning system we purchased last year. It has completely changed the way we analyze and deal with existing struc-tures. It has virtually eliminated the need for field measurements in complex me-chanical equipment rooms and provides us with a working 3-D model of a space in a matter of minutes. In conjunction with this, Building In-formation Modeling (BIM) has advanced to a point where our field personnel can use devices like tablets to locate specific cleanouts, drains, sleeves, etc. on site without having to take manual measure-ments from column lines. As you would expect, these tools can greatly accelerate the construction timeline, and in many

cases, improve the final product as well.

Is HVAC/Plumbing education avail-able for those wishing to enter the in-dustry? There is adequate training for those interested in beginning and advancing a career in the mechanical trades. CEF [Construction Education Foundation], which is located just north of DFW Air-port, provides ongoing education that benefits not only the students, but their respective companies as well. As long as the employee shows initiative and sets aside the time to take on courses, SkiHi and many other businesses have reserves set aside to cover the expense of school-ing. In addition to the main CEF campus, there are many opportunities to learn specialized skills in classes that are host-ed at the businesses of various contrac-tors around the Metroplex. Founded in 1981, SkiHi offers a full range of construction services, which in-clude mechanical and plumbing construc-tion, industrial construction, specialty fab-rication and a commercial service depart-ment capable of complete systems repairs as well as routine maintenance for all types of facilities. –mjm

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Round-UpAssociation CalendarContent submitted by Associations to Construction News

ABCAssociated Builders & Contractors

All events are held at the ABC office unless otherwise stated.Jun. 1: Future Leaders Task Force meet-ing; 4pm; for more information, email Steven Schultz at [email protected]. 10: Safety and Health Committee meeting; noon; for more information, email Dana Hickman at [email protected]. 17: Apprenticeship Committee meeting; noon; for more information, email Dana Hickman at [email protected]. 18: Summer Shindig; 4-7pm; Ameri-Crane; for more information, email Ruby Trejo at [email protected]. 24: Workforce Development Com-mittee meeting; noon; for more informa-tion, email Chris Preetorius at [email protected]

ACCAAir Conditioning Contractors of Amer.

Jun. 1: 26th Annual Golf Tournament The Club at Sonterra, 11:30amJun. 16: Board of Directors meetingJun. 18: Monthly Member meeting; The Club at Sonterra; 11:30am; free for mem-bers and first attendee, additional is $20 per person; RSVP requiredFor more information, contact Dawn Thompson at [email protected] or 210-901-4222 or visit ACCASA.org

AGCAssociated General Contractors

All events are held at the AGC office unless otherwise stated.Jun. 5: CM-BIM Exam, 12:30-4:30pmJun. 6: CLF Night at the Missions, Wolff Stadium, 7:05pmJun. 10: Brown Bag Lunch: Normaliza-tion of Deviance with Catto & Catto, noonJun. 12: Education Committee meeting; 8amJun. 16: Brown Bag Lunch: Workers Comp Experience Modification Rating, noon

Jun. 17: Lean Unit 5: Management by Values, 7:30am-5pmJun. 17-18: PMDP Module 1: Estimating & Job Costing, 7:30am-5pmJun. 18: Safety & Health Committee meeting, 11:30amJun. 23: CLF Steering Council meeting, noonJun. 24: Brown Bag Lunch: Liens with Coats Rose, P.C., noonJun. 26: Board of Directors meeting, The Petroleum Club, 8am

AIAAmerican Institute of Architects

Jun. 11-12: AIA Summer Continuing Edu-cation Conference, 7:30am-5pm, The Center for ArchitectureJun. 12: Free Product Expo and Network-ing Event, 11am-2pm, CZ Slab near the Center for ArchitectureJun. 16: Sustainable Urban Develop-ment Luncheon, 11am-1:30pm, Pearl Sta-ble, visit www.aiasa.org for more infor-mationJun. 22: Chapter meeting; noon-1pm; The Fiesta Room of Luby’s, 911 N. Main Ave.; no RSVP is necessary; cost is $25

ASAAmerican Subcontractors Assn

Jun. 3: Lien & Bond Claim Seminar; 1:30- 4:30pm; Padgett Stratemann; members $150, non–members $165Jun. 26-27: 14th Annual ASA Fishing Tournament; Port Aransas Civic Center; mandatory check-in Jun. 26 6-7:30pmTo register for these events, call 210-349-2105 or email [email protected]

CFMAConstruction Financial Mgmt Assn

Jun. 17: Officer Installation and Scholar-ship Presentation Banquet; 11:30am-1pm; The Petroleum Club; for more infor-mation, contact Stephanie at 210-828-6281, ext. 1575, or [email protected]

CMAA

Jun. 11: 8th Annual SC/TX CMAA Schol-arship Golf Classic; the Republic Golf Club; for more information, email Adam Payne at [email protected]

GSABAGreater San Antonio Builders Assn.

Jun. 3: Membership CommitteeJun. 9: Executive CommitteeJun. 11: SMC Guest Speaker Luncheon; New Member OrientationJun. 16: Board of DirectorsJun. 17: YPLCJun. 23: Membership Mixer, San Marcos Iron Doors

HCA de San AntonioHispanic Contractors Association

Jun. 5-6: Safety Fair and Training; 8300 Pat Booker Rd., Live Oak; free; OSHA 10-Hour Course English and Spanish; First Aid/CPR/AED; Saturday noon-3pm: food, music, face painting, etc.; to register, call 210-444-1100, email [email protected] or visit www.hcadesa.org Jun. 10: Lunch and Learn; Paesanos Res-

DeWayne Krawl was promoted to vice president of business develop-ment at the MLAW Engineers Austin office. He joined the firm in 2005 in its warranty depart-ment. Bringing years of real estate and business experience to the table, he cre-ated and managed the additions and re-modeling department from 2006 to 2010. From 2011 to 2015 he served as district manager and continued to expand MLAW’s presence statewide. Based in Austin, he will travel and work in all MLAW markets in Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and the Texas Coast.

Charli Valadez has been named direc-tor of business de-velopment/ mar-keting at Smith & Company Archi-tects for their San Antonio and Austin locations. With more than 20 years of experience in the A/E/C industry, Vala-dez will be responsible for strategic plan-ning, client relations and managing the business development and marketing efforts for the firm across the company’s portfolio of educational, municipal, housing, civic, and community sectors. She received her education from Kansas University in Marketing.

Jana Davenport has joined IBTX Risk Ser-vices as director of human resource ser-vices. With more than 20 years of experi-ence, she will be re-sponsible for multiple duties including strengthening the firm’s Human Resourc-es Services programs, working to grow its client base in the HR and risk manage-ment field, and growing IBTX’s HR portfo-lio across the San Antonio metro area, the state of the Texas and the Southwest re-gion. She earned her bachelor’s degree in science from Texas State University and her master’s degree in human re-sources and management from Webster University.

Eric Neuner, PE, has been promoted to as-sociate at Raba Kist-ner Consultants. Since joining Raba Kistner and manag-ing the engineering department, he has managed several large, highly complex projects, including the TxDOT IH-10 ex-pansion project and the San Pedro Creek redevelopment project for Bexar County. He is a recent graduate of the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce Leader-ship Lab. He earned his master’s degree in geological engineering from the Uni-versity of Missouri – Rolla.

taurant, 555 Basse Rd.; 11:30am-1pm; free for members, non-members $10Jun. 24: Monthly meeting/mixer at Quarry; free for members, non-members $10

IECIndependent Electrical Contractors

All events are held at the IEC office un-less otherwise stated.Jun. 12: 7th Annual IEC Sporting Clay Fun Shoot, San Antonio Gun Club, 1pmJun. 15: Continuing Education Class, 5-9pmJun. 16: A&T Committee meeting, 11amJun. 17: Board of Directors meeting, 11amJun. 18: IEC Graduation, Leon Valley Con-ference Center, 6:30-8pmJun. 20: Electrical Maintenance Techni-cian Class, 8am-5pmJun. 25: OSHA 10-Hour Class, 5-8pm (must attend both days)Jun. 26: OSHA 10-Hour Class, 9am-5pm (must attend both days)For more information, call 210-431-9861 or visit www.iecsanantonio.com

MCA–SMACNAMechanical Contractors Association

Sheet Metal & A/C Nat’l Assn.

Jun. 3: Regular & Associates meeting, Oak Hills Country Club, 11:30amJun. 17: Joint Industry Fund meeting, Oak Hills Country Club, 11:30am

NAWICNat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

Jun. 3: General meeting; The Petroleum Club; 5:30pm; OSHA update, new regula-tions effective June 1stJun. 18: Board of Directors meeting, Ur-ban Concrete office, 5:45pmJun. 19: Contracts 101: Do You Know Your Rights; Urban Concrete Office; 11:30am-1pm

PHCC Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors

Jun. 1: Applications for PHCC-SA DOL Plumbing Apprenticeship Fall 2015 pro-gram availableJun. 4: PHCC/ABPA/ASPE Industry Sport-ing Clay Shoot; SA Gun ClubJun. 11-12: PHCC-Texas Convention; Moody GardensFor more information, visit www.phcc-sanantonio.org or call 210-824-7422

SAABE

Jun. 4: First Thursday Training, 11:30 amJun. 13: 10th Annual SAABE/Phil Ander-son Memorial Picnic, 9amJun. 18: Good, Bad & Ugly Committee meeting, 11:30am

SAMCASan Antonio Masonry Contractors Assn.

Jun. 11: Golden Trowel Awards Banquet; The Club at Sonterra, 901 Sonterra Blvd.; 6:30pm; $100 per person; for more infor-mation, contact Debbie at 830-606-5556Jun. 24: Membership meeting, Pap-padeaux Restaurant, 76 NE Loop 410; noon; $30 per person; for more informa-tion, contact Debbie at 830-606-5556

SDASociety for Design Administration

Jun. 25: Maximize your Proposal Re-sponse Time with InDesign Seminar; 8am-noon; Center for Architecture, 1344 S. Flores St.; for more information, email [email protected]

USGBCU.S. Green Building Council

Jun. 11: Monthly Luncheon; Abel’s on the Lake, 3825 Lake Austin Blvd., Austin; 11:30am-1pm; member $30, non-mem-ber $40, student $20; for more informa-tion, email Jane Baxter Lynn at [email protected]

Round-UpSubmissions

This is a monthly section for brief company announcements of new or recently promoted personnel, free of

charge, as space allows. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

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

next month’s issue(published 1st of each month).

Email info to appropriate city issue, with “Round-Up” in the subject line:––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––San [email protected]


The Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) hosted its 36th annual banquet May 14 at Freeman Expo Hall. An estimated 1,850 attendees enjoyed a premium open bar, food by Don Strange Catering, raffle prizes and a live auction. –mh

The coast that hosts the most

L-R: Justin Hitchcock and Joe Eaton, Eaton Commercial;Elizabeth Haws Connally, Earl & Connally, and her husband

Martin Marietta Materials L-R: David Little, Amy Mikolajczak, Larry Martin, Roland Gonzales

G.D. Interiors L-R: (standing) Colby Brown, Bethany Wiggins, Dennis Sutherland,(seated) Bob Nester, Juan Hernandez, Mario Benavides

L-R: David Barton, Gardner Law; Marc Gravely, Gravely & Pearson; Bill Sommers,Garder Law; Judge Richard Price, 285th Dist. Court

L-R: Ronnie Urbanczyk, Urban Concrete, and Bill McCullough, Keller-Martin Construction

Steve Mechler & AssociatesL-R: Dan Knight and Jimmy Dyer

440 Pinn RoadSan Antonio, TX 78227

210-675-4990

WE MOVETHE EARTH

www.olmosequipment.com

15 to 500 TonCapacities

Available for yourToughest Projects

www.alamocrane.com

San Antonio (210) 344-7370Austin (512) 282-6866Toll Free (800) 880-0134

36 Years ofService to Texas

Setting Clearview tilt wallpanels on new 4-storyoffi ce building

fromEl Paso to Beaumont

Amarillo to Brownsville


Dear old dad

The construction industry is full of men who were inspired by their fa-thers and who are raising children

of their own. Father-son teams that often span generations drive a significant num-ber of companies in the local construc-tion community. Whether your father was a laborer or an engineer, a bricklayer or a CEO, or not in the industry at all, many of you feel you owe who you are today to your father, and to all of you, we wish you and your dads a happy Father’s Day! –mh

Leroy Real is the father of Vincent Real, president of Big State Electric

This photo from about eight years ago represents three generations. L-R: William

F. Randolph; Jonathan Randolph,Bartlett Cocke General Contractors;

Jon Randolph, Baker Drywall

L-R: Josh Cude, managing partner of Cude Engineers,and his father, Michael Cude, the firm’s founder

Neilesh Verma, president of Galaxy Builders, and his father, Arun Verma,

chairman of the board of trustees

L-R: Bruce Marek, Marek Bros., andhis son Jon Marek, MEMCO

Rick Smith (right), president of Keller-Martin Construction, with his father, Nelson, and his daughter, Nicole.

Saul Robles, Robles1, with his sons, L-R: Adam –with his son and Saul’s first grandchild, Rhett –

Justin, David and Matthew

Christmas with the Groesbeck family in 1984 L-R: TommyF. Groesbeck Jr., Kenneth M. Groesbeck, mother Myrldean Groesbeck, father Tommy Frank Groesbeck Sr., Diana Krause (Groesbeck), James D.

Groesbeck and David M. Groesbeck

James D. Groesbeck, Groesbeck Masonry, with hissons L-R: Billy D. Groesbeck and James Groesbeck Jr.

in the late 1980s

Ronnie Villanueva, HJD Capital Electric, with his sons,

Christian and Matthew

continued on next page


John Kotara and his daughter and estimator/project manager, Erin Albrecht,

J&R Tile – with herminiature dachshund, Tucker – remodeling Erin’s investment

property.

L-R: Justin Calvin, building services manager at SpawGlass, and his father,

Chuck Calvin, president

continued Dear old dad

David Colby, South Texas Drywall & Construction, recently took a fishing trip out of Billings by Doc’s

with some friends and guide Kevin Saha-di. They limited out on trout and got off the water just in time before a big storm hit. –mh

Catch of the bay

David Colby (left) shows off his (catch and release) 29” trout. L-R: David Colby, South Texas Drywall; Scott Mollett, MBA MetalsJason Slocum, ISC Building materials

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