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www.constructionnews.net (210) 308-5800 Volume 12 Number 8 AUGUST 2014Water Wall at Gerald D. Hines

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Skanska recently completed a $35 million project to modernize and re-store the Houston Community Col-

lege System’s San Jacinto Memorial Building in midtown. The building, formerly Houston’s San Jacinto Senior High School, has a long history. Built in phases between 1914 and 1936, the building is listed on the Nation-al Register of Historic Places, and has alumni such as broadcaster Walter Cronkite. “The wall near the original entrance is a plaque recognizing students and teachers who served in World War I,” said JP Chandler, project manager. “On the back wall of the stage, students long since graduated signed their names, and their graffiti is still visible: “Cole 60”, and “Juice 67” and “Lil’ Brooks” are a few of the signings. “Interior walls were taken down only

to find other walls behind the first, some still complete with hallway lockers. In other sections of the building, removing walls has turned up long covered over windows and doors dating back to 1914.” Chandler says the project included restoring an original 1914 fountain, re-producing the original railings from the main staircase and spending much time and effort developing a terrazzo pattern to match the one installed in the original building. “Exterior coatings applied to the ex-terior brick over the years was removed with a soybean-based solution and the masonry restored,” Chandler said. “New energy-efficient doors and win-dows were installed reflecting their origi-nal look. “In addition, embossed copper pan-els were removed from the façade to be restored. Inside, the interior was demol-

Owner Anthony Wendel worked alongside his father Robert at Al-vin, TX-based Wendel’s Tool

Rental for 45 years. “We started out in 1963 as a small service station and in 1971, we went into the tool rental business,” Wendel said. “I took over the business from my dad four years ago when he decided to retire. My mother, Bonnie, keeps up with the daily task of helping to run the store. “My dad is 84 and still enjoys coming to the store every now and then to work with his hands. This summer, he dug post holes with a post hole digger to repair the fence in the back. He inspires me ev-ery day to work hard.“ Wendel’s father started a woodwork-

The Professional Welding Supply Tomball location opened in Nov. 2007. General manager Michael

Brooks says the building used to be a fire station. “We have grown quite a bit since 2007,” Brooks said. “We have had an ex-citing 2014 so far. I think the most posi-tive thing that has happened lately is we have very good sales people on board. “Our sales people are enthusiastic, attentive and they all love what they do for a living. We have fun every day. We met our sales goal last year and we will exceed our sales goal this year.” Brooks says he has more than 25 years experience in the welding supply business.

ing shop when he retired. He enjoys sell-ing and building miniature farm wagons in his free time. Nowadays, Wendel runs the store by himself. He assists customers, answers the phones and does the counter work on a daily basis. “I am very busy this summer. If you don’t make it in the summer, you don’t make it in the winter,” he says. Owning a business is a challenge, but Wendel loves being his own boss. He gets to meet a lot of people, especially the new folks moving into town. “I think to stay in business for more than 45 years you have to be honest with your customers and treat everybody you

Anthony Wendel greets customers at the counter.

“This is what I know, so I like coming into work every morning,” he said. “Over the years, I have met so many different people who are looking for welding sup-plies. My favorite part about what I do is interacting with the customers and work-ing with a great group of people.” Brooks says he has a fire pit and plans to cook barbecue for employees in the near future. When the folks at the company aren’t busy at work, they like to go hunt-ing, shooting at a local gun range and fishing near the Texas Gulf Coast. “I am a bass guitar player on the side,” Brooks said. “I play any kind of mu-sic I can with anyone, any time and any

Mike Brooks (second from left) and the Professional Welding Supply Tomball sales team

The San Jacinto Memorial Building

Houston Construction News • Aug 2014

CONSTRUCTION NEWS

The Houston Construction News (ISSN 1547-7630) is published monthly by Construction News LTD., dba Houston Construction News, and distributed by mail to construction-related companies in Houston and 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 Houston 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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Houston Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abby [email protected]

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Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Buddy DoebblerEditorial/Production . . . . . . . Reesa Doebbler Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cyndi WrightProduction Mgr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sue JohnsonSales Representative. . . . . . . . . Kent GerstnerAdministration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kevin Hughes

Houston

This little article is an introduction of the newest team member at Con-struction News – me.

I’m Cyndi Wright and, in April, Bud-dy and Reesa Doebbler hired me as man-aging editor for their five publications. I’m also the editor for the South Texas edition of Construction News. I graduated from Arizona State Uni-versity’s journalism program and worked my way up from cub reporter to editor. During that time, I got married and pro-duced the father of my three beautiful grandchildren. Even though I’m an Army brat, I con-sider San Antonio home since my dad was an Army doc and we were stationed at Ft. Sam Houston quite a bit. My first real job as a reporter was in Rockport, where I worked for a funky lit-tle paper called “The Toast of the Coast Herald.” I moved around Texas in order to move up the journalism ladder. I’ve lived and worked in Bandera, San Antonio and La Grange. My last job was at the Bastrop Advertiser and Smithville Times, where I was editor of both. Now that I’ve had a couple of months to get my feet wet here at Construction News, I am finding the people I work with and for, and the people in the construc-tion industry, to be great. I want to encourage all of you read-ing this to please make your Construction

Wright here

Long-time customers have known the agency as Insurance Network of Texas. But now, the family-owned

company is changing things up with a new name, The Nitsche Group. “It’s part of our growth strategy,” said spokesperson Chris Lowder. “Cus-tomers, new and existing, can believe they will get the same service they have come to expect from us.” Lowder said several things played into the decision to update the name of the company that’s been around since 1949, when it was founded in Giddings, TX. “Our name was limiting in the sense of geography,” Lowder said. “We started in Texas, but we also have clients outside of Texas.” The word “network” was also con-fusing, Lowder said. “People thought we were an aggre-gation of smaller agencies, but we are actually a family-owned, independently-owned agency,” he explains. The term “network” is also outdated in that usage, Lowder said. And, in to-day’s terminology, it is more likely to be associated with computers and commu-nications. The company has also unveiled a re-designed web site: www.TheNitsche-Group.com. The new site prominently features the company’s focus on its rela-tionship with clients as a business part-ner, using new technologies and years of expertise to create business solutions, Lowder said. The company started as the Hannes

New name, same service

Insurance Agency, then changed to Hannes & Nitsche Insurance Agency with the addition of RJ Nitsche in 1971. Five years later, David Ferguson joined the team and the business became Nitsche & Ferguson. In 1994, the name was changed to Insurance Network of Texas. Today, The Nitsche Group has more than 125 employees at nine locations across Texas. CEO Robert Nitsche assures that this name change will not alter who they are as a company. “We will still be us,” said Nitsche. “We will maintain the core of our company that has defined us since 1949; our unique culture, outstanding customer service and hometown values. We are still family. In a way, our new name better reflects and reinforces this. In a way, our new name is a return to our roots.” –cw

CEO Robert Nitsche has been involved with insurance his entire life.

News the best it can be. We have five publications – spanning Texas – so call us and email us with any and all of your good news. We editors want to fill our pages with the news that matters to you. So, blow your horns, toot your whistles and raise your flags – we are here to help you get the word out. You are always welcome and encour-aged to contact me directly at [email protected] or 210-308-5800 ext. 148. Call me with your suggestions, your critiques, your ideas or just to chew the fat. I’d love to hear from you.

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www.constructionnews.netpublishing the industry’s news


Outgrowing your business location is generally considered a good thing – and so it was for Timothy

and Bonnie Webb, who relocated One Stop Hardware from Main Street in Hitchcock, TX to a larger location more than a year ago. “We had a garage full of hardware and the hardware side of the business started picking up,” Bonnie Webb said. “The building became available so we went ahead and purchased it and ex-panded. We have so much more space now. We still operate the tool rental busi-ness on Main Street, too. According to her, 2014 has been good to the business. “Sometimes things are slow and there are some weeks where it gets very busy,” she said. “It has been rollercoaster ride for us.” The Webb’s son-in-law, Matt Vonder-atide, takes care of the hardware business by assisting customers, and ordering and

Taking care of business

stocking all the supplies and materials. Daughter Cindy fills in when neces-sary by manning the counter when Matt is filling orders and answering phones and handling customers when Bonnie, who handles tool rentals and propane and concrete, is busy. Webb says the last event the com-pany had was a grand opening. She says customers and people in the community attended the event and there were bal-loons for the kids. “We waited a while to have the grand opening,” she said. “Folks toured the building, browsed and enjoyed free food and drinks. We had a great time. Several people from our church came to the grand opening, too. Future plans incude offering boat and RV storage. “We own a few buildings down the street and we plan to turn the building into storage space,” Webb said. “We look forward to exciting times ahead!” –ab

Timothy Webb says the company has more space for hardware Wednesdays are usually consid-ered the hump of the week, something to surmount to get

closer to the weekend – but not for a fun-loving group that chose the middle of the week as a perfect partying point. Guests that arrived Jun. 25-27 at San Antonio’s La Cantera Hill Country were treated to the kind of fun that makes peo-ple feel like it’s a Saturday. Included in the activities were the president’s welcome reception, an activity for the ladies, a si-lent auction and a casino night. A 50/50 raffle, won by George Adams, Adams Supply in Dallas, was also held. The grand finale happened Friday night, with a dinner and awards banquet. Trophies were given to the winning golf team and members were honored at the annual design awards competition. The 2014-2015 officers and board of directors were also introduced, and Robert Cau-ble, R.R. Cauble Lath and Plaster in San Antonio was presented with the lifetime achievement award.

Five-day weekend

The end of South Central Wall, Ceil-ing and Plaster Association (SCWCPA)’s 62nd annual Convention and Trade Show couldn’t have been timed better; after guests left the mid-week wall-to-wall ball, they could still count on using Satur-day and Sunday to recover. –mjm

L-R: Immediate Past President Charlie Meador, Texas Stucco Supply; lifetime

achievement award winner Robert Cauble, R.R. Cauble Lath & Plaster; Executive Director

Eddie McCormick

2014-2015 SCWCPA Officers L-R: Secretary/Treasurer Tanner Spears, Griesenbeck Distribution Group; Vice President Todd Hunt, Trinity Drywall and Plastering Systems; President Rick

Blackburn, Blackburn Plastering; Immediate Past President Charlie Meador, Texas Stucco Supply

SCWCPA’s 2014 Board of DirectorsFront row, L-R: Mike Griffin, QUIKRETE/SPEC MIX; Tanner Spears, Griesenbeck Distribution

Group; Chad Dupree, Diversified Plastering; Andy Boyd, Galindo & Boyd Wall Systems Back row, L-R: Charlie Meador, Texas Stucco Supply; Todd Hunt, Trinity Drywall and Plastering

Systems; Alex Cauble, R.R. Cauble Lath & Plaster; Rick Blackburn, Blackburn Plastering; Brent Cannedy, Specified Products; Joe McClaran, Parex USA (not pictured: Josh Cagle, DMG Plaster

& Stucco; Bret Young, Marek; Larry Kushner, Sto Corp.)

What’s the most adventurous thing

you’ve done?

Spending time in Cabos San Lucas, Mexi-co. It is my favorite vacation spot.

Perry Seeberger,Seeberger Architecture

Starting my paint supply business!Josh Clements

Texas Paint Supply

Installing doors every day. Every project is an adventure.

Jesus SanchezMJ & 4 Construction

Bass, bay and off shore fishing. Jan Maly

J.M. Maly Inc.

Camping at the Grand Canyon with my wife is one of my favorite adventures.

Billy McDonaldSouthwest Equipment Rentals Inc.

and Atlas Equipment Rentals Inc.

Spending time at the Intercoastal Canal in the back bays of Galveston.

W.C. Bill BlayneyBlayney & Associates

I’d have to say going fishing at Lake Amis-tad with my brother and a friend.

Doug LongPower Vac America Inc.

Driving my race car!Donny Kelly

Porter Glass & Mirror Inc.

Flying an airplane.Mark Nelson

Gemini Plumbing Inc.

Mud truck racing!Daryl Graff

Daryl’s Air Conditioning & Heating

Purchasing my company seven years ago!

Cory MalakClimate Services of Texas

Moving to Texas!Larry Melancon

Stoneco Inc.


Chris Walters, President,

Extreme Air Conditioning Services Inc.

Chris Walters had his own "General Handyman" business cards when he was 12 years old.

“I pushed my lawn mower around the neighborhood and knocked on doors to find new customers,” Walters said. “I charged my customers $5 to mow their lawns. The freedom of having my own money was something I loved. “I was raised in a home where we were oblivious that repairmen existed. My dad was very mechanical and we fixed everything that needed fixing our-selves. “I was interested in auto mechanics, but my dad suggested air conditioning and I took his advice.” Walters opened Extreme Air Condi-tioning Services Inc. in Houston in 1996. After high school Walters thought he was ready to open his own business and almost did at 18. He ended up not starting the company until he was 33 years old. “This ended up being a wise deci-sion because the skills I had learned about budgeting and operating several corporate departments really helped when I finally got started,” he said. “Air conditioning knowledge is only a small part of running an air condition-ing company. Wisdom from being a little older helps a lot, too.” In addition to operating Extreme Air Conditioning Services, Walters is also director at Training Center of Air Conditioning & Heating. He opened the training center after five years of research and program development.

Where did you grow up, Chris? I was born and raised right here in Houston and I have lived here my entire life.

Where did you attend high school? I attended a special technical pro-gram that was available in the late ‘70s in Houston. We could test for certain trades and then attend those schools instead of our regular high school.

What did you do next? I worked at an ice machine service company and after a year I was offered a

job to work on a machine at an oil com-pany. The company had 35 floors of me-chanical items I could work on. I stayed there 16 years. During this time, I learned about commercial buildings, chillers, boilers and was ultimately responsible for sever-al programs and departments. I decided to obtain my A/C contrac-tors license and started planning my own company.

Did you have a mentor in the industry when you first got started? Yes, my instructor and mentor was an ex drill sergeant. He taught college A/C at night and Technical High School during the day. After I graduated, I got a call from him and he was managing the ice ma-chine service company in Houston. He told me (basically ordered me) to get over there and continue my training under him. I went there and ran commercial re-frigeration service for a while and we be-came good friends. His quote I use in my class at the Training Center of Air Conditioning & Heating is, "you must know the normal before you can figure out the abnormal."

What types of changes have you seen in your industry in the past five years? Over the past five years money has not gotten easier to get. Customers on the residential and commercial side are quicker to obtain several prices. I see the r22 and r410 issues are slow-ly being normalized once everyone fig-ured out that r22 was not going away as quick as predicted. The fury settled down some. The technician shortage is worse than ever and is now being predicted by the government as vital to the economy rebound.

What does it take to be successful in the construction industry, in your opinion? You have to understand the buck stops with you. Everyday you are respon-sible for how the day went and if you were successful and got enough done to pay the bills and your employees. You must never forget nothing can compare to hard work and dedication. I tell employees all the time: no matter what is happening in your life, it is going to be worse without a job. This type of thinking gets me up at 5am without an alarm clock and keeps me focused. You cannot be lazy and you cannot slack off. This is a full time commitment that many people are counting on your ef-forts and you on theirs. I had pneumonia and the flu this past Christmas and I typed proposals from the hospital bed while connected to oxygen. We are doing those jobs right now.

Are you married today? Yes, I have been married to April, my wife and business partner, for almost 20 years.

Do you have children and grandchil-dren? Yes, I have four children and one granddaughter. Nothing can melt a man’s heart quicker than a 2-year-old telling him she loves him so much.

Have you traveled anywhere lately? Yes, I recently visited Florida to ob-serve a technician training school. It was a great trip.

What is the best part about working and living in the Houston area? I love Houston. I love the heat and the cold. We are close to woods if you like to hunt and we are close to lakes and the Gulf Coast if you like to fish. Regardless of what excites you, it is usually close to Houston.

Describe a few of your favorite hob-bies these days. I have a small weekend house on Galveston Bay and I spend most week-ends there. I have a small boat that I can lower into the water and take off. I go fishing every time I go to the weekend house and I release everything back into the water. Spending five min-utes on the water can erase a weeks worth of stress.

Does your company have any annual events? Every summer we get together at Galveston Bay and enjoy an evening of fishing and just visiting with each other. It’s nice to get together offsite and get the families together. We also have an annual dominoes party during Christmas

holiday.

What was it like opening the Training Center of Air Conditioning & Heating? It was a chore to get through all the approvals required to open a school, but we succeeded and have the Certificate of Approval from the State of Texas. My class was designed to teach the things that so many technicians never get. I am just completing my first class and it is amazing what the students have learned. My school even has a mock up house with an attic and attic stairs. Part of the final exam is to perform a complete in-stallation in this attic. I play the part of city inspector and inspect it for compliance and proper op-eration. It is a real joy to watch someone who could not operate pliers correctly weeks earlier now performing subcooling cal-culations while they charge the unit they just installed.

What are your future goals? I have plans to stay lean and mean, keeping my best customers happy and looking for new customers that are a good fit. Just getting customers is not always a benefit. Getting rid of the tire kickers and focusing your attention on those who appreciate your knowledge and dedication is much better. I have had one truck and I have had 10 trucks. As I get older, I see the benefit of less trucks, higher skilled technicians and dedicated customers. –ab

Walters enjoys teaching technicians at the Training Center of Air Conditioning & Heating.

Chris Walters established Extreme Air Conditioning Services Inc. when he was 33.

The Associated General Contractors Houston Chapter (AGC) Construction Lead-ership Council (CLC) member mixer took place at Luke’s Icehouse Jul. 10. Nearly

60 young industry professionals attended the networking event. –ab

Submitted to Construction News

Shaking hands


ASU 2014-09 revenue fromcontracts with customers,finally!J. Randy Vogel, CPA, PartnerBKD, LLPSan Antonio, TX

After years of anticipation and exposure drafts and comments, the FASB finally issued the revenue rec-

ognition update we have all been eagerly awaiting. The good news is that there were many groups that gave the FASB input including AICPA, TSCPA, CFMA and others and the end result for the construction industry is that many of the concepts that surrounded our old policies including percentage completion remain with limited new terminology changes and several new twists. So here are several of the items that have been codified!

• FASB made it clear that Percent Com-pletion Accounting is appropriate for rec-ognizing revenue from construction con-tracts• FASB clarified that in certain circum-stances, contractors will be allowed to rec-ognize revenue for uninstalled materials• The ASU allows for the use of Cost–to-Cost to compute percent complete

The ASU applies to all contracts with customers other than those within the scope of other standards, such as leases, insurance, financing arrangements, fi-nancial instruments and guarantees (oth-er than product or service warranties). The ASU does not apply to other parties to a contract who are not customers. Management will need to review part-nership and collaborative arrangements to assess if such arrangements will be subject to the ASU. The core principle of the new model is that an entity would recognize revenue as it transfers goods or services to cus-tomers in an amount reflecting the con-sideration it expects to receive. To achieve that core principle, an entity would apply a five-step model. Collect-ability will be an explicit threshold that must be assessed before applying the revenue recognition model to a contract. An entity must evaluate customer credit risk and conclude it is “probable” it will collect the amount of consideration due in exchange for the goods or services. The assessment is based on the custom-er’s ability and intent to pay as amounts become due. This is a significant shift from the previous exposure drafts.

The five steps associated with the Revenue Recognition Model are:

A.Identify the Contract with a Custom-er. The parties to the contract have ap-proved the contract (in writing, orally, or in accordance with other customary busi-ness practices) and are committed to perform their respective obligations. B. Identify the Performance Obliga-tions in the Contract. The entity can

identify each party’s rights regarding the goods or services to be transferred. C. Determine the Transaction Price. The entity can identify the payment terms for the goods or services to be transferred. This determination would also include time value of money, non-cash consideration, discounts, warran-ties, etc.D. Determining Commercial Substance. The contract has commercial substance (that is, the risk, timing, or amount of the entity’s future cash flows is expected to change as a result of the contract).E. Determining Collectability. It is probable that the entity will collect the consideration to which it will be entitled in exchange for the goods or services that will be transferred to the customer. In evaluating whether collectability of an amount of consideration is probable, an entity shall consider only the customer’s ability and intention to pay that amount of consideration when it is due. The amount of consideration to which the en-tity will be entitled may be less than the price stated in the contract if the consid-eration is variable because the entity may offer the customer a price concession.

With the issuance of this ASU, the dis-cussions and interpretations are just be-ginning. As we progress through the im-plementation, many groups will continue to develop information related to the im-pact on the Construction Industry. As it develops it will become clearer that many of the Construction Industry’s past con-cepts were retained in the new standard, but our documentation and thought pro-cess will have to adapt to the new termi-nology and twists that are now in the standard.

Randy Vogel is an audit partner with BKD,LLP in the San Antonio Office. Randy brings over 35 years of experience in the Construction Industry where he has served a variety of clients including general and specialty contractors, real estate developers and engineering firms. He can be reached at 210.341.9400.

The final countdown,complying withACA mandatesA. Scott AndersonSr. V.P. Employee BenefitsDelphine SpaniolIntegrated Benefits SpecialistIBTX Risk Services

As we countdown to the end of 2014, the Obama administration has not

yet revealed if there will be any delays to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for employers with 100+ employees. Currently, all the medical in-surance carriers in Texas are jockeying for the uninsured businesses with baited breath. Although they may have solu-tions, the cost may be more than some construction employers will be able to absorb and still remain competitive. One of the solutions to this price problem is to offer an affordable option to ACA man-dates with the Minimum Essential Cover-age plan, also known as a MEC plan.

MEC plans, if placed properly, may be a perfect solution. MEC plans are self-funded and cover the minimum cover-age required for preventative services by the ACA. If offered to the entire work-force and participation is met, the em-ployer, in most cases, will escape the $2,000 penalty for each employee. This plan also qualifies the employee for the individual mandate, once enrolled. How-ever, this still exposes the employer to a $3,000 penalty per employee if that em-ployee applies and qualifies for a subsidy in the Federal exchange.

A Minimum Value Plan, also know as MVP, can can be partnered with MEC plans to offer solutions to satisfy both the $2,000 and the $3,000 penalty. These complementary MVPs add benefits to the MEC plans while at the same time, the MVP meets the 60% actuarial value as set by PPACA to qualify for the $3,000 pen-alty exemption for employers. Keep in mind that both the MEC plan and the MVP have participation and contribution requirements.

Not all MEC plans are created equal. Each MEC plan carrier has different re-quirements for their products. Some MEC plans require 100% participation while other MEC plans have a participation re-quirement as low as 10%. There are a few MEC carriers requiring 100% contribution by the employer, on the flip side, some MEC carriers require no employer contri-bution. Participation is the key and one can argue if the contribution is too low by the employer, this could result in too little employee participation thereby resulting in a MEC plan not being in place. When

there is no MEC in place, there is no proof that the employer ever offered the MEC plan, leaving the employer facing penal-ties once again.

To be in compliance for the ACA, the MEC plan must be self-funded. Be aware however, there are a few MEC carriers out there offering fully insured plans, it is of our opinion, these MEC plans are not properly following the guideline require-ments as set forth by the ACA. Addition-ally, although the thought of self-funded plans may sound intimidating to some, finding the right MEC plan can provide protection to the employer and elimi-nate these concerns.

The clock is ticking ever so loudly for January 1, 2015. Will you be in compli-ance with all of the ACA mandates? There is no guarantee, but clarification for em-ployers may come as soon as Labor Day. IBTX will keep you informed and updat-ed, and if you have addition MEC or MVP questions, you can contact us at 800.880.6689.

Scott Anderson works with clients and prospects to educate them on the most up to date information regarding the Afford-able Care Act, HIPPA, COBRA, ERISA and other federal and state compliance rules and regulations. His more than 25 years’ experience in employee benefits strength-ens client knowledge across the DFW metro area, the state of the Texas and the South-west region.

Delphine Spaniol has worked in the inte-grated benefit industry for more than 7 years. Her knowledge of benefits and ser-vices that are not covered by the traditional health and benefits or property and casu-alty markets enables her to provide a wide range of solutions.

IBTX Risk Services is an independent agen-cy delivering innovative strategies and rela-tionships to manage risk and improve prof-itability. We provide multiple distinctive Enterprise Client Services including com-mercial and personal insurance, employee benefits, safety and loss control services, surety bonds, wealth management, hu-man resources consulting and claims advo-cacy. For more information, visit www.ib-tx.com.

Engineers from across the state at-tended the Texas Society of Profes-sional Engineers Conference and

78th annual meeting at Hilton Palacio del Rio in San Antonio Jun. 25-27. The event gave folks the opportunity to meet other professional engineers of multiple disciplines from all areas of Tex-as. Attendees participated in three full days of seminars at the conference that addressed the professional, economic, social aspects of engineering. –ab

Marketplace of ideas

L-R: Jim Winton, PE, Harold Cobb, PE, JR Reddish, PE and Bill Fendley, PE

L-R: Trish Hatley, PE,and Young Engineer of the Year winner

Charles Stevens Jr., PE


A winning build

The Texas Building Branch of Associ-ated General Contractors (TBB-AGC) held its annual convention

Jun. 9-12 at Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Re-sort and Spa in Bastrop. Twenty-one projects were given Outstanding Construction Awards from the annual competition. –cw The 2013 winners by category and chapter were:Building 1 ($0 – 2 M)St. John the Baptist Catholic ChurchNM Contracting LLC (Rio Grande Valley)Building 2 ($2 – 5 M)AT&T Performing Arts Center Box Office Pavilion and MarqueesMcCarthy Building Companies Inc. (Texo)Building 3 ($5 – 10 M)Carter BloodCare Central Texas Opera-tions, Linbeck Group LLC (Centex)Building 4 ($10 – 30 M)First Baptist PasadenaFretz Construction Company (Houston)Building 5 ($30 - 75 M)Baylor Research and Innovation Collab-orative, The Beck Group (Centex)Building 6 (over $ 75 M)Piano Pavilion at the Kimbell Museum of Art, The Beck Group (Texo)Design Build 1 ($1 – 10M )Houston Methodist San Jacinto Ambula-tory Surgery Center, Linbeck Group LLC (Houston)Design Build 2 ($10 – 30 M)Trader Joe’s Cold Storage Warehouse / Distribution Center, Bob Moore Con-struction (Texo)Design Build 3 (over $30 M)Veterans Administration Austin Outpa-tient Clinic, Turner Construction Compa-ny (San Antonio)

Health Care 1 ($0 – 10M)Specialty Operating RoomMEDCO Construction L.L.C. (Texo)Health Care 2 ($10 – 30 M)Victory Medical Center – San AntonioLinbeck Group LLC (San Antonio)Health Care 3 (over $30 M)New Patient Bed Tower and ExpansionMEDCO Construction L.L.C. (Texo)Historical Renovation (no limit)Dichotomy Coffee & Spirits, Mazanec Construction Company Inc. (Centex)Interior Finish-Out 1 ($0 - 500 K)American Bank - Downtown BranchWm. Taylor & Co. (Centex)Interior Finish-Out 2 ($500 K – 2 M)Stonebriar Country ClubT&G Constructors (Texo) (not pictured)Interior Finish-Out 3 ($2 - 5 M)The Green Mountain Energy Finish-OutThe Beck Group (Austin)Interior Finish-Out 4 (over $5 M)Reunion Tower RemodelThe Beck Group (Texo)Industrial/Warehouse 1 (up to $5 M)Baylor Energy Complex, Mazanec Con-struction Company Inc. (Centex)Industrial/Warehouse 2 (over $5 M)PECOFacet Marney Dunman Perry Jr. Technology Center, SEDALCO INC. (Texo)Residential Multi-FamilyLoftVue, Centerpoint Builders (Texo)Specialty ConstructionJFK Tribute & General Worth SquareAUI Contractors (Texo)

Fretz Construction Company,First Baptist Pasadena

Linbeck Group, Houston Methodist San Jacinto Ambulatory Surgery Center

A powerful remedy for thosein constructionJason Wagner PartnerWagner Saenz Dority, LLPHouston, TX

Companies that sell and lease equipment for use in construction projects, as well as those who manu-

facture that equipment, face a comprehensive indem-nity scheme affecting the manner in which they defend lawsuits and allocate risk. Re-cent decisions indicate these indemnity benefits also flow to construction contractors who use products of any kind in the course of their work. This indemnity system origi-nates from a state law known as Chapter 82, although these rights can also originate from contractual terms that comply with other provisions of state law.

Chapter 82 imposes indemnity require-ments on product manufacturers, which are broadly defined as designers, formu-lators, constructors, rebuilders, fabrica-tors, producers, compounders, proces-sors, or assemblers of products who place those products into commerce. Manufacturers owe indemnity obliga-tions in “product liability actions,” de-fined as any claim against either a manu-facturer or a seller for recovery of dam-ages arising out of personal injury, death, or property damage allegedly caused by a defective product, no matter how the plaintiff may assert the claim in the law-suit. The indemnity obligation exists re-gardless of how the lawsuit is resolved, which means a manufacturer owes it even if the case settles.

But who gets the benefit of the manufac-turer’s indemnity protection in a product liability action? Those entities are called “sellers,” even if they do not necessarily sell a product or are not in the distribu-tion chain of the product. Chapter 82 de-fines a “seller” as someone engaged in the business of distributing or otherwise placing a product, for any commercial purpose, in the stream of commerce for use or consumption. Under this defini-tion, companies that lease equipment to their customers – and even those that combine the sale of any product with the provision of a service in connection with that product – qualify as “sellers” who are entitled to indemnity.

A seller should trigger Chapter 82 by pro-viding written notice of the claim as soon as possible so that it can be indemnified for “losses” arising from a product liabili-ty action. “Loss” is statutorily defined as court costs, expenses, attorney’s fees, and any damages awarded by a judge or jury against the seller. A seller also is able to recover court costs, expenses, attor-ney’s fees, and any damages incurred by the seller to enforce its right to indemni-ty under Chapter 82.

To avoid the obligation, a manufacturer must secure a final judgment from the judge or jury that the seller was indepen-dently liable for the injury or damage. Anything short of that is useless. Chapter 82 provides several ways for the manu-facturer (or plaintiff) to meet this burden. These exceptions range from a seller (i) participating in the product design to (ii) altering or modifying the product to (iii) exercising control over warnings or in-structions with the product to (iv) provid-ing express factual misrepresentations about the product to (v) failing to dis-close a known product defect. Given the influx of foreign manufactured products now sold and leased in the United States, the manufacturer’s statutory escape for indemnity based on a foreign manufac-turer who is not subject to the court’s ju-risdiction is a frequently used exemption to seller immunity.

Sellers should hire attorneys well-versed in Chapter 82 to:

• review and change, if necessary, sell-er websites, brochures, and manuals to avoid the likelihood of an exception to indemnity;• pursue their indemnity rights against manufacturers promptly and correctly;fight against efforts to find independent liability or other exceptions to indemnity; negotiate with manufacturers to secure different and/or additional indemnity terms; and • in the cases where full indemnity is not secured, defend sellers against all claims asserted against them.

When used correctly, Chapter 82 is a powerful vehicle for equipment sellers, lessors, and even contractors to avoid li-ability in product defect lawsuits.

Jason Wagner, a partner at Wagner Saenz Dority, L.L.P., in Houston, provides litiga-tion and consulting services to individuals and businesses in the construction industry throughout Texas. He can be reached at (713) 554-8450 or at [email protected].

Heather Kelly, Dominion Air & Heat LLC, (right) and friends attended the Women Contractors Association (WCA) and National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC) Bowling Member Mixer at Dave & Busters Jun. 26. –ab

Bowling, food and funSubmitted to Construction News


On the runSubmitted to Construction News

Get sharpSubmitted to Construction News

Roger Pearce, from The Nut Place in Houston, spent a day fishing in Galveston. He says this sharp-nosed shark was caught off East Beach on cut bait. –ab

Fishing hotterin August

by Capt. Steve Schultz

Premier Yamaha Boating Center, Majek Boats, E-Z Bel Construction, Power

Pole Shallow Water Anchor, Aggregate Haulers, Interstate Batteries, Pure Fishing,

Mirr-O-Lure and Columbia Sportswear.

Well it’s August now in Texas and that usually means it’s HOT! It also means that it’s the

last month that anglers will be allowed to keep a 10-trout possession before

the September 1st regulation changes. After the 1st of September, the five-trout limit will extend from the Rio Grande River to the highway 457 bridge near Sargent. These changes have stirred up lots of controversy along the mid coast fishing communities, stating that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department had no data to back these changes, and based on the results of their own gill net surveys showed that there was no shortage of trout from Port O’Connor to Port Mansfield. Although TPWD did put a five-year sunset date on the changes, I doubt we will ever see them reverse the changes.

In other changes to the saltwater fishing regulations, the commission extended the two-flounder per day bag limit restrictions currently in effect for the month of November, to include the first two weeks of December. During these first two weeks of December, however, harvest would be allowed by any legal means.Getting on to fishing in the Upper Laguna Madre area, the reports I’m getting from local guides is fishing has gotten consistent. Although we have had a few

days near the full moon where the bite has been slow, overall it’s been reliable.

Last month I was able to get on the water for a day just to get the cobb webs out of the Majek and I was amazed to see the great water conditions we have from the JFK Causeway to the Landcut. It felt really good to be on the water with my two sons and brother, catching a few trout for dinner, even though is was just for a short time. By the looks of the water conditions, we should have a banner fall redfish run. Usually we start to see these schools of reds in mid August through the end of October. This is one of the most exciting times during the fishing season especially when you can get on the schools and stay on them throughout the day.

For those of you that are waiting for dove season to come around, the San Antonio Youth Center Charity Shoot will be held on August 8th and 9th. This will be a great time to sharpen your skills and get back

into the swing for wing shooting season. This year will mark the 25th anniversary for the event and it has been extended into the two-day venue, which includes a BBQ Cook-Off, fun games for the family, and live entertainment along with a raffle and live auction. I will be at the event and look forward to see many of my friends and clients there too.

The report from my last doctor visit is to continue with physical therapy thru September to loosen muscles in my foot and leg. I am able to start putting weight on my leg and my therapist says that this will accelerate my healing. I can’t wait to get back on the water when the doctor gives me the ok, but until then, I will still be booking trips thru other guides so don’t hesitate to call with all your fishing needs.

I can be reached at 361-813-3716, or e-mail me at [email protected]. Good luck and Good Fishing.

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

FISHING AND HUNTING TRIPS

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

[email protected]

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

STEVE SCHULTZ OUTDOORS, LLC

Have an outdoor photo you’d like to share?

Send to:

[email protected] call Abby at 832-595-0091

HCSS employees took one last run with Steve Maliszewski (middle, in white)before he left Texas to compete in the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon

in California that started in late July. The competition was limited to only 100 elite runnersfrom around the globe. Starting in the small town of Lone Pine, CA., at 3,727 ft. above sea

level, the race started with a 22-mile climb to 10,000 ft. and endedat 8,360 ft. at the Whitney Portal, the trailhead to Mount Whitney. –ab


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

Do you remember the first day of school each year when you were a kid in school? The inevitable “What did you do this summer?” question would always get asked and in keeping with the tradition of campfire tales the tall stories would follow. It was almost like we went through summer vacation looking for the best possible answer for that question. After all, a great summer story was the key to starting the year off right. It was important to impress your buddies and rivals and most of all, the teacher. Even in adulthood I think we all still keep that quest for the best vacation sto-ry in the back of our mind. Swapping those stories makes having to go to work on Monday morning just a little more tol-erable. So what have you been doing??? I hope you have had the chance to go fishing! It has been an unusual sum-mer to say the least. In spite of the long range forecasts trying to tell us to get ready for a terrible hot and dry summer like we endured in 2011, this summer hasn’t been so bad. The 100 degree days didn’t really get started until later this summer. It is mid-July as I write this and we never even saw 80 degrees today! I know here on Lake Buchanan we were still seeing good stringers of crappie coming in a good two months later than normal. There have also been reports from several lakes that the female large-mouth bass were still guarding their nests in an unusually late spawn. We have even seen a little more rain moving through, at least enough to reassure us that it can still rain. Little inflows of fresh rainwater can do wonders for a summer lake, keeping the water moving and cool-ing it down helps the fish keep moving and biting. Here on Lake Buchanan we are still bringing in good solid limits of

stripers and hybrids. If you still haven’t gone out and found yourself a good summer story yet, you still have time. Hire you a guide on the lake of your choice and get in on this summertime fishing. Book you an exotic game hunt. Load the kids up and head to the coast to sail in a pirate ship or go deep sea or bay fishing. Go float down a cool river or explore some of our excellent Texas State Parks, they always have spe-cial events planned. The main thing is to go do some-thing before summer moves on into fall and just leaves you feeling left out. You still deserve to have some fun this sum-mer! In just a few more weeks, school starts; it will be dove season, then bow season, deer season, football starts and the Holidays start cranking up. Don’t let summer get away from you. Don’t wake up come November and realize you for-got to break out the flip flops and get in a little sun time by the water when you had the chance! Here’s hoping you can find your own summer bragging story soon!

What did you do this summer?

On 7/11/14 AM, Filmed an episode of “Hook, Line & Studdard” television show for the Longhorn Network today, with Lifetime Longhorns

L-R: Annette Gardner with Lake Buchanan/Inks Lake C of C, Vince Young, Max Milam, Ken Milam and Kasey Studdard.

Longhorn Trucking

Half or Full Day Fishing Trips

All Bait, Tackle & EquipmentFurnished

Your catch Filleted andBagged for You

Furnish your TPWD FishingLicense & Refreshments,

and WE DO THE REST!

Ken Milam Guide Service

(325) 379-2051

www.striperfever.com


SpawGlass hosted the second annual CJ Strna-

del IV Memorial Fishing Tournament May 30-31 in Port O’Connor. Fisherman tried their luck from 36 boats during the tournament. The event included a silent and live raf-fle with Yeti coolers, week-end getaways and com-memorative custom rods. This year, the proceeds went to an endowment scholarship at Texas A&M University Construction Science in CJ Strnadel’s name. –ab

Fun on the water

Largest Trout: Tyler Carpenter, Mayur Sethi, Russell Rutledge and Mitchell Classen

1st Place L-R: Kody Kmajstrla, Sledge Parker, Mike McKay, Donald McKay and Kelly McKay

L-R: Matt Elliott, Layton Muehr, Aaron Bradford, Melissa Wright

Off the hookSubmitted to Construction News

President Chris Fisher, Fisher Construction, caught this large Dorado better known as “Mahi Mahi” off the coast of Ponce, Puerto Rico. –ab

Casting a lineSubmitted to Construction News

Joe Ryan Mathis, The Mathis Group, caught a large trout in Galveston Bay.He loves going fishing in the summer time. –ab

Fine fishingSubmitted to Construction News

L-R: Mid-West Electric Co.’s Mike Morgan, Garlon Evansand Evans’ son enjoy an afternoon fishing in Galveston. –ab


Hurricane facts

Hiding under a lace curtain, like editor Cyndi Wright’s 80lb black lab Little Anne,will not save you from a hurricane. Little Anne is terrified of thunder.

With hurricane season upon us, it’s important to know the truth about these dangerous storms.

Here are some helpful “truths” about hur-ricanes from the National Weather Ser-vice (NWS):Myth: Only coastal areas are at risk of hurricanes.Fact: Strong winds, heavy rain and flood-ing can spread inland hundreds of miles from the coast, devastating homes and properties.Myth: Slightly opening the windows during a hurricane equalizes the pressure inside your home, preventing the roof from collapsing or exploding.Fact: No home is airtight, so the pressure inside will equalize on its own. Opening windows only provides a way for rain and debris to enter the home.Myth: Taping windows with duct tape will prevent them from breaking or shat-tering.Fact: Tape will not prevent debris from

shattering windows. It will only make the glass fall in large chunks rather than small shards, which is even more dangerous. The best means of protection is boarding up windows or installing hurricane shut-ters.Myth: The weather doesn’t look bad, so there’s no need to evacuate until the storm hits.Fact: If told to evacuate, leave immedi-ately. Waiting for the storm to hit before leaving is inviting unnecessary danger, and it could leave you stranded in your home in the middle of the storm. Have an evacuation plan and destination in place, and follow it immediately when alerted. The NWS reports that there have been very few hurricane-related deaths over the past five years – 16 from 2009 through 2013. By understanding the truth about hurricanes, you can stay safe from these storms and help make sure that statistic stays low. –cw

President and CEO Helen Hodges, SSCI Environmental, Construction and Consulting Services (SSCI) has

a passion for birding in her free time. With more than 25 years of birding and species study experience, Hodges has been part of ornithological studies in Panama, Peru and Costa Rica, as well as the East Coast and Florida in the United States. “I regularly participate in Texas bird counts,” Hodges said. “I am also on the Foundation Board of Armand Bayou Na-ture Center, a 2,500-acre nature preserve which includes wetlands, uplands, for-ests and grassland ecosystems.” Hodges was recently appointed by the Massachusetts Audubon Society to participate in a 12-member study team in Cuba to identify and count bird species throughout the country. Hodges leads SSCI in Houston with David Klebieko, vice president. Victoria Berger is an environmental scientist and Kirstin McNeill is the marketing coordi-nator. “We are a licensed engineering firm capable of seeing a project through the completion of construction,” she said. “Over the years, we have worked on de-sign-build projects with both public and private sector and we have managed and

Learning to fly

aided in several renovation and demoli-tion projects.” Site development projects the com-pany has been involved with include North Shepherd Parcels, Webster Com-mercial Park Development, Amateur Ath-letic Facilities in League City and TCEQ Region III Brownfield Assessments, she said. Founded in 1986, SSCI provides envi-ronmental consulting, construction and field remediation. –ab

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Home Office(210) 308-5800

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HoustonSan Antonio

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South Texas

Gaining a new perspective

Texas aggregate, concrete and ce-ment industry professionals attend-ed the Texas Aggregates & Concrete

Association (TACA) 60th annual meeting at Four Seasons Las Colinas in Irving, TX in June. The event featured a combination of informative sessions, activities, network-ing opportunities and more. –ab

Photos by Tim Mummey, Holcim Inc.

TACA members say the Pledge of Allegiance.

Greg Hughes, Cummins Southern Plains, LLC discusses transportation.

Joel Galassini, Capitol Aggregates, Inc., gives a report on the latest sustainability trends.

Pat Strader, CEMEX


Service Providers

Construction in a digital era

Steve McGough, Chief Operating OfficerHCSSSugar Land, TX

NEXT MONTHSeptember 2014 Support Your Industry’s Feature Issue

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• San Antonio• Austin • Houston• Dallas/Fort Worth• South Texas

(210) 308-5800

Jan: Construction ForecastFeb: Construction SafetyMar: Construction Education

Apr: Women in ConstructionMay: Concrete IndustryJun: HVAC & Plumbing

July: Electrical IndustryAug: Service ProvidersSep: Green Building Trends

Oct: Specialty ContractorsNov: Architecture & EngineeringDec: Construction Equipment

2014Schedule

Green Building Trends

Consider the rental option

Tom Hubbell, Vice President of Marketing and CommunicationsAmerican Rental AssociationMoline, IL

Total equipment rental revenue growth in North America continued to more than triple the growth of

the general economy with a 6 percent gain in the first quarter of 2014, according to the latest American Rental Association (ARA) forecast from the ARA Rental Market Monitor.

The forecast projects total equipment rental revenue in North America to grow 7.5 percent in 2014 to reach $40.8 billion, 10.4 percent in 2015 to reach $45 billion and another 9.3 percent in 2016 to $49.2 billion. The growth rate is expected to be 7.7 percent in 2017 and 7.2 percent in 2018, with total revenue of $56.8 billion. In the U.S. alone, total rental revenue in 2014 is forecast to reach $35.9 billion, up 7.7 percent, led by an 8.2 percent in-crease in construction and industrial rental revenue and a 7.3 percent increase in general tool revenue. Both those segments are expected to hit double-digit growth in the U.S. in 2015 with construction and industrial rev-enue projected to increase 11.0 percent and general tool 13.2 percent, and again in 2016 with increases of 10.0 percent and 11.4 percent, respectively, with high sin-gle-digit growth expected in 2017 and 2018. Whether or not you have rented equipment before, rental companies to-day offer an attractive option to consider

as construction work in Texas strength-ens this year and shows growth in through 2018. Renting offers contractors and con-struction companies access to a wide va-riety of equipment for added job versatil-ity without the added financial burden associated with the by-products of own-ership, including the cost of expenses such as warranties, regular maintenance and repair, transportation, insurance and storage. Construction companies and con-tractors are paying closer attention to the bottom line more today than ever before. Rather than buying equipment, the American Rental Association (ARA) en-courages construction companies and contractors to take a look at how the fixed cost of renting equipment keeps the burden of capital investment, main-tenance and selling equipment on the rental business balance sheet instead of yours. Renting allows contractors and con-struction companies to take on a wide

variety of jobs and projects that may re-quire equipment that they don’t have the capital to purchase, as well as specialized equipment for seasonal or large jobs. To help contractors and construction companies determine whether renting a piece of equipment is the right decision, ARA suggests the following rules:• Look at the cost of renting versus buy-ing and consider the time value of mon-ey. Renting may be a better choice.• Estimate the time utilization of a piece of equipment. If you are not going to uti-lize the equipment, why pay to own it? Consider renting.• If your jobs are varied and require spe-cial equipment, consider renting.• If your fleet’s diesel emissions are con-trolled by regulation, consider renting. Equipment rental company trained professionals also are available to help assess and secure the right equipment for the job at hand. Equipment rental in-ventory is turned regularly, providing lat-er equipment models with the latest safety features, emissions controls and better fuel economy that meet current governmental requirements. The state of Texas has independent and national construction and general tool rental companies located through-out all regions of the state with inventory that meets local and statewide equip-ment needs. Finding equipment rental stores in Texas is easy by using the ARA’s online rental locator, www.RentalHQ.com. Users can enter their zip code and the type of equipment they are in need of to get a

list of local rental companies that can help meet their needs. Equipment rental should be a part of your business deci-sions today and for the future. Top reasons to rent construction equipment:1. Supplement basic equipment with specific rental equipment that extends your opportunity to compete for more jobs.2. Reduced workload on equipment war-ranties, maintenance and upkeep on your end.3. Eliminate warehouse or storage de-mands.4. Have the right equipment to compete for the job successfully.5. Equipment meets regulatory specifica-tions for all types of construction jobs.6. Less transportation expense on your part to transport equipment.7. Less equipment inventory that requires disposal.8. Eliminate equipment tax, license and registration issues.9. Free up capital for other demands and a stronger balance sheet.10. Offers a more cost-effective option all around. Christine Wehrman is CEO of the American Rental Association (ARA), the international trade association for the equipment rental industry. The ARA’s core purpose is to promote the success of its members and advance the growth of the equipment rental industry. ARA’s cur-rent membership includes nearly 9,000 rental businesses and nearly 1,000 manu-facturers and suppliers. –cw

What does it take to be a successful in your indus-try, Steve?

To be successful in construction today you have to have firm control on your daily job cost and have an organiza-

tion that believes that safety is priority one.

With margins on jobs razor thin, it's imperative that you know your job costs daily and make adjustments as needed to get back on track. Providing a safe work environment with a progressive safety program bene-fits all stakeholders. To be successful you must manage your safety program with the same rigor and intensity that you put into the rest of your business.

In your opinion, what are a few chal-lenges in your industry in recent years? The biggest challenge facing Texas and the nation is the lack of a long-term

surface transportation program. The Highway Trust Fund used to pay for our roads and bridges is insolvent. There has been no increase in the gas tax since 1993 and its not indexed for inflation. With vehicles becoming increasingly more fuel-efficient, the math doesn't work. There has to be a new dedicated revenue source or an increase to the gas tax. Passing long-term transportation legislation allows states to better fore-cast, plan, fund and build the infrastruc-ture projects we need.

What is your opinion about the cur-rent state of the construction indus-

try? While the rest of the nation struggles to get back on its feet, Texas is a shining star. The commercial real estate market is red hot with tower cranes up all over the city, making way for new and expanding businesses. Single-family homes are moving very quickly as builders struggle to keep up with demand. Given the friendly busi-ness environment of the state, I believe Texas will be the place to be in construc-tion for the next decade and beyond.

What are the major changes in recent years relating to the type of work you do? Mobile applications for tablets and smart phones are changing the way we do business. The key is to keep the infor-mation relevant and useful to the end user. Another major change is the im-mense amount of job site data that needs to be collected and organized to help contractor's be able to respond to owner requests, government regulations, and frivolous lawsuits. Early efforts from some contractors

to digitize this centered on scanning pa-per. However, that puts them at a serious disadvantage to the contractors who go completely electronic to begin with, us-ing computers, tablets and phones to collect and organize the data right from the start.

What is rewarding about working in your industry? The most rewarding part of con-struction is seeing the finished product. Regardless of whether you were part of the group that designed, estimated, built or inspected the project, ultimately there is a bridge, road or building that you can show to others with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

What do you think is on the horizon for your industry? Mobile technology will be pushed past the foreman level and into the hands of everyone. Tablets and smart phones will allow everyone on a project to report safety is-sues, see where they are supposed to be tomorrow, what trucks they should be expecting and a whole host of other job related items within a few clicks. –ab


Round-Up

Good eats

Houston area civil, mechanical and electrical engineers attended an annual barbecue fundraiser at the

Northeast Harris County Community Center May 29. Senior associate Megan Siercks, PE, Walter P. Moore, says Commissioner Jack

L-R: Commissioner Jack Morman, Wayne Ahrens, Jeremy Phillips and John Saavedra

Local engineers enjoy a plate of barbecue.

Morman spoke at the fundraiser. Pro-ceeds will benefit educational programs and college scholarships. The Texas Society of Professional En-gineers Houston Chapter (TSPE) hosted the event. –ab

HOLT CAT recently named Elaine Hicks as senior vice president and chief information officer. In her new role, Hicks will be re-sponsible for strate-gically leveraging information tech-nology to achieve business goals. Previ-ously Hicks served as senior director of information technologies. Prior to joining HOLT CAT, she served as director of infor-mation services for C.H. Guenther & Son Inc. Hicks received a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Texas A&M University.

South bound

Fire sprinkler contractors from around the state gathered at the Skins & Fins event Jun. 12-14 at

South Shore Harbour Resort & Confer-ence Center in League City, TX. The Fire Sprinkler Contractors Asso-ciation of Texas (FSCATX) held the event. Carol McCain, FSCATX executive di-rector, says fire sprinkler contractors had a great weekend participating in a shot-gun start golf tournament, a bay fishing tournament, continuing education class-es and a vendors table top show. Classes included “Understanding Killer Contract Language” presented by Buddy Dewar, National Fire Sprinkler Association; “Pre-Action Systems & Cor-rosion Resistance” presented by Alan Larson, Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Co.; “Residential Sprinkler Head Design/

Corrosion Resistant Coatings for Sprin-klers” presented by Martin Workman, Viking Supplynet; “Foam and the Envi-ronment” presented by Skip West-brook, Chemguard; “Sammy Standard Application” presented by Jim Mathis, ITW Buildex and “Fire Pump Basics” pre-sented by Bob Head, Ferguson Fire En-gineered Products. –ab

Golf Tournament winners:Ist Place: Luke Morrow, M. McDuff, S. Cain and J. Warner2nd Place: Derick Wickersham, J. Open, T. Landry and M. LandryDead Ass Last: C. Ivey, K. Rohrs, B. Head and E. GillLong Drive: Conner CarberryClosest to Pin: Sean CainLongest Putt: Eric Gill

James C. Helm II, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, joins m ARCHITECTS as an associate prin-cipal. Helm brings more than 20 years of experience in education, commercial, recreation, industrial, hospitality and in-stitutional building types. Over the past four years, he served as senior project manager on K-12 and higher education projects, including 5 LEED Silver projects. He is a graduate of Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of Architecture. Sara C. Patton has also joined the firm as architectural intern. Patton grad-uated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Architec-ture. Since 2006, she has worked sum-mers in New Haven and Houston.

Bob Devillier, PE, has joined LJA En-gineering Inc. as a senior project man-ager in the land de-velopment division. Devillier brings more than 27 years of experience in de-sign engineering, project management and client relation-ship development. He will be responsible for the design of water distribution, wastewater and storm water collection, and storm water detention systems, as well as paving and grading design. He will also work closely with clients and project teams throughout project prog-ress. Devillier graduated from Lamar Uni-versity with a B.S. degree in Civil Engi-neering.

JE Dunn Construc-tion Co. has hired Emre Ozcan as the new Houston office leader. His past 17 years of experience have been in the Houston construc-tion market, focus-ing on development and execution of healthcare, biopharma-ceutical and commercial projects across the country. After graduating from the Middle East Technical University in Tur-key, Ozcan worked at his family’s con-struction firm in Ankara for several years before receiving his B.S. in Civil Engineer-ing and master’s degree in Construction Management from Northeastern Univer-sity. He received his MBA degree from Boston College.

AMEC has appoint-ed Jeff Reilly as group president of strategy and busi-ness development. He will be a mem-ber of the AMEC group manage-ment team, report-ing to chief execu-tive Samir Brikho, and will be based in Houston. Reilly has a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from the Universi-ty of Texas at Austin and an MBA in Fi-nance and International Business from the University of Houston.

SubmissionsThis is a section for brief company

announcements of new or recently promoted personnel, free of charge

as space allows. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Email with “Round-Up” in the subject

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

next month’s issue to:

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continued from Page 1 — Like father, like son

continued from Page 1 — The sky’s the limit

continued from Page 1 — Class in session

Mix and mingleSubmitted to Construction News

A Happy Hour event for the Gulf Coast Green Symposium and Expo, a green building conference presented by the American Institute of Architects Houston

Chapter (AIA), took place at Mongoose Versus Cobra in late June. –ab

Mechanical family affair

The Mechanical Contractors Associa-tions (MCA) of Texas held the annu-al MCAT Conference & Products

Show Jul. 9-13 at Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio. “Our philosophy is [that this is] a business derived of contracts and con-tracts are built on relationships,” explains Glenn Rex, executive vice president of MCAT. “So, we try to do a relationship building and networking opportunity for everybody that participates in our end of the marketplace.” He emphasizes that those relation-ships include the contractors’ or vendors’ families, too. “This is very much a family-oriented business and most of the contractors that are here are second- and third-genera-tions in their family businesses,” he adds. “They remember coming to these confer-ences as children with their parents. So, we’ve always tried to stress the summer vacation aspect and to make sure that we

give it to them in a location where it en-courages them to bring their families.” With 35 exhibitors and sponsors this year, Rex believes this year’s conference is the largest product show in this industry in this part of the country. As a vice president attending from corporate for Morrison Supply Compa-ny, Jack McKendrick is one of those ex-hibitors, and he observes that this is the biggest MCAT conference yet as far as the exhibitions go. “The summer conference is a family event,” says McKendrick. “So, it gives us an opportunity to meet wives and children and to bond that way, and we’ve done it for a long time. I feel like I know most ev-erybody’s family here. It just gives us a dif-ferent platform to discuss business.” This year’s conference featured sev-eral social events for the contractors, ex-hibitors and families, including a dessert party, breakfast buffet, casino night and golf tournament. –mh

MilwaukeeMorrison Supply

Anvil International

All-American Rigging Company

Consolidated Crane and Rigging

KitzPepco Sales & Marketing

Marking Services Incorporated

ished to the perimeter walls, which were saved for historical features. “The pool was filled in and replaced by classrooms and offices. The gym and its original wooden floor were also re-stored.” Some new elements were intro-duced too: Six 5,000-lb. beams were in-stalled, an elevator tower and four stair towers were added to the rear of the building. “One of the biggest challenges we faced during the project was the building has settled over the years,” Chandler said. “We measured an elevation and then went to the other end of the floor, and there was a two-inch difference.” Skanska provides construction services for healthcare, higher education and gov-ernment projects. –ab

meet like you want to be treated,” he said. Living close to the Gulf Coast, Wen-del likes to spend time at the beach and at the fishing piers in Galveston when he has the opportunity. “My dad and I used to go fishing all the time,” be said. “Since the business is open six days a week, I am limited to what

I can do on my off days. I like to go fishing when I can. I’d like to retire in about five years and then I will go more often!” Wendel’s Tool Rental rents tools and equipment to contractors and homeown-ers. The company also offers U-Haul rental trucks and trailers. –ab

where. I love it. Nowadays, I play the bass guitar in a band called “Braid.” Looking ahead, Brooks says he looks forward to continue leading the Tomball location and he’d like to eventually retire one day. Professional Welding Supply sells weld-ing supplies and steel. The company also has a location in Houston. –ab

Mike Brooks and the sales teamwill exceed their sales goal in 2014.


Association CalendarABC

Associated Builders & Contractors

Aug. 4: Casino Night: Shotgun Willie Cel-ebrationAug. 7: EIC How to Submit SeminarAug. 11: BreakfastAug. 15: Open HouseFor more information call 713-523-6222

AGCAssociated General Contractors

Aug. 5-6: Project manager Development Program Module 1: Estimating/Job CostingAug. 5-8: OSHA 501-Trainer CourseAug. 7: 1st Thursday Member MixerAug. 8: CLC Golf TournamentAug. 12: OSHA 2045 – Machinery and Machine Guarding StandardsAug. 19: Raising Safety AwarenessAug. 19-22: OSHA 510 – Standards for the Construction IndustryAug. 19-22: MC 101 – Management Sys-tem Design – Session 2Aug. 20: Raising Safety Awareness (Spanish)Aug. 26: OSHA 3015 – Excavation, Trenching & Soil MechanicsFor more information call 713-843-3700

AIAAmerican Institute of Architects

Aug. 2: RDA Design CharretteAug. 16: Architecture Merit Badge WorkshopAug. 21: Full Day CE OpportunityAug. 22-23: 2014 ArCH Film FestivalFor more information call 713-520-0155

ASAAmerican Subcontractors Association

Aug. 5: Small Business Peer Group, 10amAug. 6: Membership Committee mtg 9amAug. 7: Associate Member Peer Group, 2pmAug. 13: Board of Directors meeting, 9am and Schmooze & Mingle, 4pmAug. 21: BPI Session, 11am and General Lunch meeting, 11:30amAug. 22: 40th Anniversary Party, 7pmAug. 26: Safety Committee mtg, 10amAug. 26: TCA PAC Clay Shoot, 6pmFor more information call 281- 679-1877

FPAFoundation Performance Assoc.

Aug. 13: Presentation, 5pmFor info: www.foundationperformance.org

IECIndependent Electrical Contractors

Aug. 4: MC PLCs, 6-9pm, Members $400/Non-Members $475Aug. 2: Electrical License Renewal Class, 8am-noonAug. 4: Electrical License Renewal Class, 6pm-10pmAug. 14: Motor Controls Class – Level 1, 6-9pm, Members $400/Non-Members $475Aug. 16: Electrical License Renewal Class, 8am-noonAug. 20: Monthly meetingAug. 21: Electrical License Renewal Class, 9am-1pmAug. 27: Electrical License Renewal Class, 6pm-10pmFor more information call 713-869-1976

NECANational Electrical Contractor Assn.

Aug. 7: Coastal Sabine Division meetingAug. 12: Houston JATC meetingAug. 19-21: Southern Region Managers ConferenceAug. 26: Houston Division meetingFor more information call 713-977-2522

NAWICNat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

Aug. 27: Top Golf TournamentFor more info: www.nawic-houston.org

MCA Mechanical Contractors Assn. of Houston

Aug. 13: Membership meeting, 11:45am, The HESS ClubFor more information call 281-440-4380

PHCC Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors

Aug. 13: Membership Lunch, SaltgrassFor more info: www.gulfcoastphcc.org

TSPETexas Society of Professional Engineers

Aug. 12: August meeting, The HESS ClubFor more info: www.tspehouston.org

WCAWomen Contractors Association

Aug. 7: Networking Luncheon: Building a Nimble Company, 11:30am, Grotto, 4715 Westheimer, For info: 713 807-9977

The Associated Builders and Con-tractors Greater Houston (ABC) pre-sented the Safety Training and Eval-

uation Process (STEP) awards at the ABC Membership Breakfast in July. Forty-five contractor member com-panies participated in STEP, including 31 Diamond and Platinum level recipients, the highest of the program’s accolades. The breakfast also featured an ex-pert safety panel to discuss current is-sues and trends in the construction in-dustry concerning employee safety and risk assessment. –ab

Congrats to the winners!Platinum Award Level: Aggregate Technologies Inc.Burrow Global Services LLCCB&ICraig & Heidt Inc.Enterprise Commercial Paving Inc.Evergreen Industrial ServicesGriesenbeck Architectural Products Inc.Haley-Greer Inc.Karsten Interior ServicesMB Western Industrial Contracting Co.RUS Industrial LLCSpawGlass Construction CorporationStructure Tone Southwest Inc.TDIndustriesTeal Construction CompanySilver Award Level: Oxford Builders Inc.

Stepping up

Gold Award Level:Craig & Heidt Inc.Force CorporationPerformance Electric LPRef-Chem LPSlack & Co. Contracting Inc.The Gonzalez GroupTrio ElectricTurner Industries Group LLCDiamond Award Level: Brock Services Ltd.Burton ConstructionCherry Demolition Inc.D.E. Harvey Builders Inc.E.E. Reed Construction LPFast Track Specialties LPHoles IncorporatedISC Constructors LLCJamail & Smith Construction JAMCO Inc.KBR L-Con, Inc. Engineers and ConstructorsMiken Specialties Ltd.PCL Industrial Construction Co.Performance Contractors Inc.S&B Engineers and Constructors Ltd.Saulsbury IndustriesSkanska USA Building Inc. STARCON International Inc.Tetra TechThe Mundy CompaniesTNT Crane and Rigging Inc.W.T. Byler Co.

Structure Tone Southwest Inc. Performance Contractors Inc. Fast Track Specialties LP

W.T. Byler Co. MB Western Industrial Contracting Co.

Haley-Greer Inc. Burrow Global Services LLC

Meeting at jobsites throughout the city, American Subcontractors Association Houston Chapter (ASA) members participated in OSHA’s National Fall Preven-tion Stand-Down week in June. The Safety Stand-Down is a voluntary event

for employers to talk directly to employees about fall hazards and to reinforce the im-portance of fall protection. –ab

Raising safety awareness

Pieper Houston Electric LP

Slack & Co. Contracting Inc.


Sharing knowledgeSubmitted to Construction News

Representatives from Cherry Demolition in Houston talked with a Texas A&M University construction science student about careers in the demolition industry

in May. They discussed the latest demolition and recycling techniques. –ab

Job Sights

The Keystone Concrete crew does concrete work at the Gulf Coast Educators project on Broadway Street in Pearland, TX. –ab

The Hoar Construction crew reglazes windowsat the Greenway Plaza office complex in Houston. –ab

Larry MelanconSalesman

Stoneco Inc.

Industry FOLKS

Originally from Lafayette, LA, Larry Melancon moved to Texas a year

ago to work with his uncle at Stoneco in Manvel, TX. “I loved spending lots of time in the country,” Melancon said. “Lafayette was a great place to grow up. “When my uncle presented me the opportu-nity to work at Stoneco, I jumped on it and never looked back. He has taught me so much about the stone business.” Melancon’s uncle can now take some time off if he wants. “I have grown so much as a person over the past year,” Melancon says. “I am now able to handle the business, so he doesn’t have to worry if he went out of town for a few days. It has been a process. We all have to start at the bot-tom and work our way up.” Melancon does a little bit of every-thing at the company these days, in-cluding sales, driving and maintaining the office. “I also answer the phone, but I re-ally like to be face to face with the cus-tomer so I can show him or her in detail what they are purchasing,” he said. Melancon says the best part about working at the company is having the satisfaction of getting the job done ev-ery day. “I really enjoy living and working in Texas,” he said. “The only thing I don’t

like is the heat. Everything else is awe-some. I like the people and the culture here.” Melancon says if a young person wants to be a salesman in the stone business, his advice is to follow their dreams and work hard. “When I am not working, I love working with horses, going on trail rides, cooking, pencil drawing and lis-tening to Zydeco music,” he said. “I can also play the guitar, drums and accor-dion.” His uncle’s daughter, Erica Honore, is currently teaching him how to play the guitar. “She is a great guitar player and singer,” he says. “Every now and then, she will sing at local venues.” In the future, Melancon says he looks forward to continuing working with his uncle at Stoneco and learning as much as he can about the stone business. –ab

All smilesSubmitted to Construction News

A ribbon cutting took place at the Cy-Fair Chamber of Commercefor the recently completed Universal Smiles project Jun. 24.

HM General Contractors was the GC. –ab

Congratulations to the Independent Electrical Contractors Texas Gulf Coast Chapter (IEC) graduating class of 2014. A graduation ceremony was held at the

Crowne Plaza Houston in mid July. –ab

Future is so brightSubmitted to Construction News


L-R: Adon Garcia and Kevin Mohammadian, Master Air, get ready to go to an in-stallation job in Pearland, TX. The company does air conditioning and heating. –ab

Cool and collectedConstruction News ON LOCATION

Rogers-O’Brien has been active in the Houston area for a decade, building healthcare, assisted living

and renovation projects. The company also has offices in Dallas and Austin. Now, the company has opened a Houston of-fice on Richmond Avenue and regional vice president Gregg Lynch will lead the office. “In Gregg we found the right person to achieve our long-term expansion strat-egy of serving all Texas regions,” said Preston McAfee, president and CEO. “He is also highly respected among his peers.” The Houston team includes Lynch, Gray McCracken, preconstruction man-ager; Scott Kittrell, project manager; Wilfred Mensah, assistant project man-ager; Zulema Granie, executive adminis-trative assistant; and Mitch Kennedy, project superintendent. “Our goal for the future is to build a Houston team of motivated individuals to expand construction operations,” Lynch said. “We want to continue to build long-lasting relationships with the communities we serve.” Houston-area projects Roger’s O’Brien has worked on include Magnolia Heights Assisted Living & Memory Care in Spring and Kindred Rehabilitation Hos-pital in Humble. A project currently un-der construction in the area is Oceans Behavioral Hospital in Katy.

Rogers O’Brien employees partici-pate in annual events such as a family Christmas brunch, 5K race events and the CANstruction competition. In addition, the company has holi-day-themed activities throughout the year, such as red white and blue day, a chili cookoff, an ice cream social, Moth-er’s day, team spirit day, Father’s Day, a bakeoff and Mardis Gras. Established in 1969, Rogers-O’Brien is a general contractor and provides precon-struction and construction management services. –ab

Gregg Lynch has 27 years of experience managing teams.

Building relationships

A construction groundbreaking ceremony was held at the ChevronPhillips Chemical Company LP U.S. Gulf Coast (USGC) Petrochemicals projectin June. The engineering, procurement and construction is being executed

through Gulf Coast Partners, a partnership betweenTechnip USA Inc. and Zachry Industrial. –ab

Submitted to Construction News

Making an impact

The Kirksey Architecture team cheered for the USA Men's National Team during the World Cup. –ab

Soccer fans uniteSubmitted to Construction News

The Associated Builders and Contractors Greater Houston Chapter (ABC) held a TopGolf Tournament at TopGolf Houston North Jul 17. Hundreds of construction

professionals and golf enthusiasts attended the event. –ab

Top notch golfSubmitted to Construction News

L-R: Theo Crawford, Mike Kelly, Fred Tristan and Mike Bauman take care of inside sales at the Elliott Electric Supply Tomball location. –ab

Electric timesConstruction News ON LOCATION

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