Covering the Industry’s News
P.O. Box 791290
San Antonio, Texas 78279-1290
Texas
Style
San Antonio Austin
Dallas/Fort Worth
PRSRT. STD.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
DALLAS, TX
PERMIT #1451
Change Service Requested
Houston
Dallas/Fort Worth
CONSTRUCTION
™
The Industry’s Newspaper
www.constructionnews.net
(972) 517-4703

Home Ofc: P.O. Box 791290 San Antonio, TX 78279 (210) 308-5800
 SEP 2009

Vol. 7 
Not-so-heavy metal
Happy camper
L-R: Brad Lockett and Amanda Smith, with one of the “gatekeepers.”
Will Gil Moyers give up the camper for the company van?
I
f a visitor can sneak past the dinosaurs
and geckos keeping watch over the
front gate at Wooten Metal, there’s
still a tiger lurking by the receptionist’s
desk. The hallway is another feat: hall
monitors Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Aniston fiercely guard their ground. Marilyn
Monroe shepherds the women’s restroom and Humphrey Bogart defends the
men’s.
There’s only one place to go – the
first office on the right. And even if a visitor can scoot past the watchful fabricated
steel and laser-etched sentinels, they
aren’t going to get past Hawaiian-shirted,
college-baseball-cap-wearing-chiefhugger-and-kisser-on-the-cheeker Brad
Lockett.
Wooten Metal’s vice president will
be the first to pull anyone into his office,
which can only be likened to a metal version of toy store FAO Schwartz, or it may
just be an extension of his shirt. Dozens
of colorful “spirit spinners,” of which his
company makes more than a million a
year, twirl overhead, while iron insects
command the carpet. Family pictures and
fishing trips etched on glass and illuminated by neon light abound. Some are
just a byproduct of his work, and some
are gifts that one can only term as …
thoughtful.
“After people come in here, when
they see something weird, they think of
continued on Page 21
M
any people travel for their work.
Some people relocate. Gil Moyers does both. In a camper. With
his wife, Dawn. And their very energetic
5-year-old twin sons. Cross-country. Yearround.
True story: Moyers and his family
have called a camper home for the past
five years, all in the name of work. He reopens terminated Pirtek USA stores and
puts new franchise owners in place, and
he brings his family along for the ride.
Not many wives would agree to such
an idea, and Dawn, at first, was no exception.
Moyers says, “When I came in one
day and said, ’Do you know what we’re
going to do? We’re going to buy a truck,
No. 9
and a fifth wheel camper!’ she said, ‘That
doesn’t sound like it’s going to be any fun
at all.’
“But we did it, and we’ve had a blast.
When we started in Tampa, we’d move
every month to a different place to a different campground. Dawn would say,
‘This isn’t so bad, moving someplace else
and having different scenery.’
“It’s been a lot of fun, because we’ve
been very close,” he says. “Imagine how
close we might be!”
But the ride may soon be coming to
an end. With his sons ready to begin kindergarten, Moyers is ready to put down
continued on Page 21
School’s in session
T
yson Building Corporation had to
wait six years for school to start. The
general contracting company had
performed work for Temple Christian
Schools Inc. before, constructing classrooms and a cafeteria/auditorium for the
school’s east campus, and had a solid relationship with the client. So when Tyson
Building Corporation was asked to bid
the proposed campus to be constructed
at 1256 Jim Wright Freeway, “we went to
the City of White Settlement and got all
of the plans done, and it was about a $1.5
million project,” company President Ben
White says.
Then the events of 9/11 occurred,
and the nation came to a halt. So did the
plans for the proposed Temple Christian
campus.
“They decided to postpone it … and
they postponed it … and postponed it....“
White says.
It was postponed until March 2007.
In the six years the design-build project lay dormant, it had changed in scope,
which presented additional challenges,
says White. To compound the difficulty
was the fact that the City of White Settlement had changed as well. Many of the
city employees now working were unfamiliar with the project, and new decisionmakers in city government had fresh
ideas about the proposed campus.
“The first thing they told us is that it
had to be a full masonry building, it
couldn’t have any metal showing on it on
any sides or anywhere,” says White. “And
then we had to have extra parking. Then
after we’re into the job and have the permit, which took us seven or eight months
to get, they told us we’d have to have a
sprinkler system – another $135,000.”
“By the time we got through with it,
if we had charged them for everything
Tyson Building Corporation got high marks from the school
for its work on this Temple Christian campus.
continued on Page 21
Page 2 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Page 3
Tex mix
Double play
The gang at Nortex considers forming a pyramid,
but then settles on a nice group photo to commemorate the occasion.
Maybe it was because the weather was a good 10 degrees cooler, or that the party
was getting started a little earlier than usual right before the weekend. Either way,
the 110 customers, vendors and employees who attended Nortex Modular
Space’s sixth annual appreciation barbecue Jul. 23 could hardly eat for all of the
talking and laughing. The company’s Lewisville factory was full to the brim with
fun-loving folks appreciating the opportunity to work – and eat a generous side of
potato salad – together as they reflected on another productive year. –mjm
Construction News ON LOCATION
Coat of arms
L-R: Tom Tracy and Walter Hooper play a perfect game together.
I
t was a company softball game. The
chairman’s life needed sparing. And
that’s where the 25-year friendship between Alanda Construction Services
President Tom Tracy and Vice President
Walter Hooper found its baseline.
“I was a VP that worked for a company that manufactured building products,”
Hooper remembers. “We were going to
have a co-ed softball game between the
office and the plant.“
But when Hooper saw that the company’s unathletic chairman, who insisted
on playing third base, was going to be up
against Tracy, who, Hooper says, “was just
knocking the fire out of the ball right
down the third base line at about 500
miles per hour,” he made a command decision. Hourly employees, of whom Tracy
was the only one, could not be on the
team – only salaried people.
“He was going to kill the chairman of
the company!” Hooper says. “The plant
manager had to go up to him and tell him
he wasn’t going to play on the team, at
which point I walked up to him, introduced myself and asked, ‘Do you want to
play on my men’s team?’
“We’ve been friends ever since,“
Hooper says. “We’ve worked together at
different companies. I’ve worked for him;
he’s worked for me. We have no ego issues. We don’t argue. I could count on my
fingers the number of people I would go
into partnerships with.”
Tracy appears to be one of the few.
The two have been at Alanda’s helm for
five years and have played on the same
softball team for most of their friendship.
These days, though, they’ve traded pitching for putting and their teammates for
soul mates – their wives, who are good
friends with each other as well, often join
them on the green.
Alanda Construction Services in Plano
specializes in commercial drywall and
wood or metal stud framing. –mjm
Construction News ON LOCATION
No breaker
L-R: John Green and Donald Waters, RDG Painting in Crowley, are just making
sure their arms are rested before they go tackle that big downtown Fort Worth
enamel coating project they have scheduled for the day. –mjm
Dallas  Fort Worth
CONSTRUCTION NEWS
Editor — Melissa Jones-Meyer — DFWEditor@ConstructionNews.net — 972-517-4703
Construction News Ltd. Home Office
P.O. Box 791290 • San Antonio, Tx 78279
210-308-5800 Fax 210-308-5960
www.ConstructionNews.net
Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Buddy Doebbler
Editorial/Production . . . . . . Reesa Doebbler
Managing Editor . . . . . . . . LaVerne Dickinson
Production Mgr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sue Johnson
Sales Representatives: . . . . . . . Kent Gerstner
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laureen Satabe
Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kevin Hughes
San Antonio Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathie Fox
Austin Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vanessa Antoine
Houston Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abby BeMent
Reprints: Send email and indicate you
would like to purchase a digital reprint
(credit card only)
Reprints@ConstructionNews.net
We will email an Order Form for you to
complete and return.
Extra Papers: Go to our website at
ConstructionNews.net, and select Rack
Locations for a location near you for pick up
of an additional copy. Once the newspapers
are bulk-mailed from the printer/mailhouse,
no copies are available for mailing.
© 2009 Construction News, Ltd.
Want to be in Construction News?
Simply contact your city editor.
We also welcome your outdoor stories
and photos (hobbies, trips, talents, etc.)
Publishing the
Industry’s News
Texas Style
San Antonio • Austin
Dallas/Fort Worth • Houston
If you are a construction-related company
in Dallas, Tarrant, Collin or Denton counties
and are not receiving a free copy of the
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News, please call
for a Requester Form, or visit our website.
The Dallas  Fort Worth Construction News
(ISSN 1547-7657) is published monthly by
Construction News Ltd., dba Dallas/Fort Worth
Construction News, and distributed by mail to
construction related companies in the Dallas/
Fort Worth metropolitan area.
All submissions should be mailed to our
editorial offices. We reserve the right to
edit any materials submitted. No fees for
materials, copy or photographs submitted
will be due unless agreed upon in advance in
writing. Submissions will be published at our
discretion on a space-available basis.
Construction News, Ltd., dba Dallas  Fort
Worth Construction News, will not be liable for
errors in copy or in advertisements beyond
the actual cost of space occupied by the error.
Publisher reserves the right to reject any
advertisement at any time.
All Construction News
publications are audited
for circulation by
Gary Bankston, HEC Electrical Contractors Inc. in Southlake, says he has almost
completed a large wiring installation project but that he won’t get a breather
afterward – there’s another project right on its heels! –mjm
Want Reprints?
Full Color, Press Quality Digital Reprints available on
any item in Construction News – $42 includes tax
Perfect for framing in the office, a promo
item, for the website or as a gift.
Digital Press Quality PDF is emailed to you. Print as many
as you like. Can also be printed by any graphics
service provider, on any paper selection, size, or finish.
To request a reprint . . .
• Email to: reprints@constructionnews.net
• Indicate you would like to purchase a reprint, and a credit card form will be
emailed for you to complete and return.
If you have any questions, contact the SA home office at (210) 308-5800
Page 4 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009
Get back
“W
Steeeerripe!
Dustin Haney puts it in reverse.
e’ve done things kind of
backward,” says Dustin
Haney, owner of DK Haney
Roofing in Fort Worth.
But his forward think-from-the-ending style paid off. For instance, when he
established his business in 1981, he asked
what was known in the industry to be the
most difficult roof to install.
“I was told restaurants. They’re small
and there’s equipment all over them,”
Haney says. “So my brilliant idea was to
start doing restaurants. If we could do
those, we could do anything.”
However, the company became so
adept, it became locked into that type of
work Wanting to grow the business, he
earned an 8a certification hoping to expand his company’s project scope – and
asked who the hardest contracting officer in the area was.
Turns out, it was a woman at a Navy
base who drove fear into the hearts of all.
Haney approached her anyway.
“I figured if we could work for her, we
could work for anybody,” Haney said.
“But when I talked to her, she waved me
out the door real quick.”
Haney would not be deterred. At every federal trade show or event, he
sought her out and introduced himself.
“After about 14 times, she finally gave
me a shot, a roof with one of the biggest
dollar volumes we’ve had. And she ended
up really helping us. We’ve done tons of
work for her since.”
Business has grown so quickly, Haney
is re-evaluating his company’s future– and
going backward. “Our goal since the first
day was to be No. 1 in the country, and
we’ve been in the top five the past few
years,“ he says. “But when you try to go
big, you risk losing quality. We don’t want
that, so we’re in the midst of cutting that
down and going back to what we know.”
DK Haney is a roofing contractor specializing in commercial, municipal and retail projects. –mjm
David K. Sargent had a quality start in the striping business.
“I
thought I would be a pitcher; I was
fairly good at pitching,” says David
K. Sargent of his high school aspirations.
But as his high school years grew to a
close, so did his dreams of becoming a
pro-baseball star – he realized he was
suffering from burnout.
Fortunately, his dad, also named David, had just purchased Stripe-A-Zone
Inc., and had just the remedy for that
petered-out pitching arm.
“I started out power washing, which
was a low-man-on-the-totem-pole, entry-level job that I just did as a part-time
job in high school,” Sargent says. “I did
that for a couple of years, and decided I
wanted to stick with it.”
Sargent was in sales until the company’s growth caused him to become
more involved in the production aspect.
Since he joined Stripe-A-Zone Inc. 13
years ago, he has earned his stripes and
the title of vice president.
Since high school, David has done
more fishing and hunting than pitching,
traveling to exotic locales such as Brazil. But
he still gets his baseball fix, and makes sure
the company’s 75 employees do as well.
“Every year, we take the entire company to a Rangers game, the last game of
the year,” he says. He also indulges the
employees’ appreciation for other sports
as well, sharing season Mavericks and
Cowboys tickets.
Does Sargent ever want to get back
in the game?
“I graduated with a guy named Vernon
Wells [Toronto Blue Jays’ center fielder],
and a couple of months ago, just for fun, I
added up that since graduation he’s made
$170 million,” Sargent says. “That’s the first
time I ever had a second thought!”
Headquartered in Grand Prairie, StripeA-Zone offers parking lot and warehouse
striping. –mjm
Construction News ON LOCATION
On the road again
Truck driver Jose Angel estimates he spends 40 hours a week on the road for MidSouth Lumber Company in Grand Prairie. Multiply that by the eight years he has
worked for Mid-South … and that’s a lot of driving – and diner food! –mjm
Construction News ON LOCATION
Dirt alert
Even though he’s no gossip guy, driver Lorenzo Pena gets all of the good dirt
working for Ara’s Construction Service in Fort Worth. –mjm
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Page 5
F
Road-eo Roundup
rom its chain on a Komatsu backhoe, a mud-splattered bowling ball
swung toward a row of bowling
pins. Across Hensley Field, an excavator’s
bucket scooped up a basketball balanced
on an orange safety cone and deposited
it in an oil barrel with a soft swoosh. Coworkers called to and cackled at each
other as they navigated their way on
loaders through the muck-rutted obstacle course, creating deeper grooves in
the ground with every contestant.
And as 250 employees from the City
of Dallas street department competed in
five events on construction equipment
loaned by Kirby-Smith Machinery Inc.,
one thing was clear: The grass, which
was no match for the heavy equipment
and mud, was the day’s only loss.
Held Jul. 30 at Hensley Field, the City
of Dallas Street Services Heavy Equipment Road-eo was a first for many of
those in attendance.
“Actually, this is the first rodeo in
about 10 to 11 years that we’ve had,”
Dennis Ware, assistant director with the
department of street services, says.
“What we’re trying to do, more or
less, is play different agility games with
this equipment, just to demonstrate the
skill.”
Ware says the day was also designed
to promote safety and operation training, boost morale and foster a sense of
camaraderie and team
building for the department employees, who have
witnessed a tough budget
year.
George Denny, marketing and sales director for
Kirby-Smith, says he was
pleased by the turnout and
positive response, and be-
L-R: Kirby-Smith’s Bart McClary, John Arterberry, Sol Gieser, Tim Hall,
Gary A. Jones, Philip Hearrean and Larry Renfro
lieves the company may host similar
events in the future.
“The people that I talked to communicated back to me that they thought it
was a great way to experience new product lines, new technology, and they enjoyed the camaraderie and competition,”
Denny says. “One individual actually said
how much they appreciated Kirby-Smith
and the city of Dallas in doing this kind of
activity.”
The event was also a recruiting tool
of sorts, as new employees who displayed
raw talent using the sophisticated machinery had the chance to be recognized
in succession planning. Employees also
had the rare opportunity to cross-train
on larger, higher-grade construction
equipment.
“So this is our first attempt to familiarize individuals with it and then try to
develop some sort of program to advance our new employees,” Ware says.
“All in all, we’re just trying to get a sense
of pride and a sense of accomplishment
to the workers that we have here.“ –mjm
Paul A. Olea stacks ‘em up at the Gradall-boxing station.
Competitors were bowled over by the level
of skill required in the events.
Damesha Turner, Dennis Ware’s office assistant,
raises the bar on the skid steer rodeo course.
Days of gold
Classic Cars and “Baby Clay” set the theme for the Back to the ‘50s Bash held at Sunset Station.
T
he masonry industry saluted its best
and remembered the past at the
Texas Masonry Council 50th Anniversary Convention and Golden Trowel
Awards Aug. 12-14 in San Antonio.
To accommodate the many activities, a
number of venues were used, including the
Westin Riverwalk Hotel, Pearl Stable, Sunset
Station and Canyon Springs Golf Club. –kf
Golden Trowel Awards were presented
at a banquet at Pearl Stable. Winners are:
Education – University
Project: St. Edwards University, Austin, new residence hall
and dining
Contractor: CD Lonestar Inc.
Architect: Cotera & Reed
Supplier: Hohmann & Barnard
Education – Public Funded
K-12
Project: Conroe Sports Complex, Conroe
Contractor: City Masonry Inc.
Architect: PBK Architects
Suppliers: Upchurch Kimbrough, Headwaters
L-R: John Swink, Mr. and Mrs. Rusty Haile
and Nick Koenig
Julio Zuniga, with the CFI Inspection group,
scoops for this game of hoops.
Industrial Commercial
Project: The Carnegie Building, Fort
Worth
Contractor: Lucia LLC
Architect: Boka Powell
Suppliers: Featherlite, Hohmann & Barnard
Government Institutional
Project: Pasadena Police Department,
Pasadena, TX
Contractor: Camarata Masonry
Architect: Morris Architects Inc.
Suppliers: Architectural Masonry Products
Residential – single/multi-family
Project: Ritz Carlton Hotel & Residences,
Dallas
Contractor: Lucia LLC
Architect: HKS Inc.
Suppliers: Acme Brick Company, Hohmann & Barnard, Headwaters
Landscape Hardscape
Project: Bridges on the Park, Austin
Contractor: CD Lonestar Inc.
Architect: Rhode & Hurt
Supplier: Continental Cut Stone
Block
Project: Heritage Buick-Pontiac-GMC,
Rockwall
Contractor: Smith Custom Masonry Inc.
Architect: NADC Architects LLC
Suppliers: Featherlite, Hohmann & Barnard
One of the trade show exhibits
at the Westin Riverwalk.
Page 6 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009
that I was going to quit my job and be a
roofing contractor.
Jim Helzer
JEH Company
D
espite selling his roofing supply
company and swearing off the
business five years ago, JEH Company owner Jim Helzer just can’t step
off the roof after nearly three decades in
the business. Maybe it’s that he loves the
hard work, or his employees, or both, but
whatever it is, not even racehorses could
drag him away from it.
When you started your roofing installation company in a tiny Mansfield
shop in 1982, did you ever dream you
would reach this level of success, as a
roofing supply company, nearly 30
years later?
I had no idea. When I started, we
used to do $20,000 a week, and I would
say, “Isn’t that something?” Then when
you start doing a million a day, it’s really a
different deal.
The really neat thing about it was
that, prior to that time, I spent 19 years in
the defense business. I spent from 1960
to 1979. I worked for Martin Marietta on
the Titan missile. I worked for LTV on the
A-7 attack fighter, and I worked for several years for General Dynamics on the
F-16.
I had a lot of business savvy, but I
didn’t have a lot of business savvy as far
as running a total company from A to Z. I
started as a roofing contractor after I quit
my job at General Dynamics on June 29,
1979. I went into the roofing contracting
business because I worked with a friend
of mine part time in the roofing installation business.
We had a lot of cedar shingles in this
area, and I had the cleanup. He said,
“You’ve got too much moxie. Why don’t
you get out of the trenches and start selling?” And I didn’t want to do that. I was a
fairly timid guy, and I had a good job in
the defense industry.
Eventually, I did venture off and start
selling a few roofs, and I saw how bad of
a job I thought they were doing and I
thought, “I can do this better.” So I came
home one day and I told my wife, Marilyn,
How did Marilyn take the news?
She said, “You’re going to what? How
are we going to make it?” We didn’t have
any savings at all. But I said, “Well, I’m 39
and up until I’m 50 to 55, I can get back
into the defense industry in a heartbeat.“
I always had that backup position.
So we started and we scrambled. The
first thing we decided when we started
the business was that we were going to
pay ourselves last. We were going to buy
the material and pay the labor, and if
there was anything left over then that’s
what we were going to live on.
From time to time during that first six
months, it got pretty testy as to whether
we were going to make it or not. But I was
fortunate to sell another roof and make a
little bit more money.
How did you start growing your business?
We just constantly worked on cash
flow. Between 1979 and 1982, I grew that
business to where we were doing about
$12 million annually, and we never borrowed a penny. Sometimes, I would have
$200,000 to $300,000 in bills and my wife
would nearly jump out the window! So
we’d all go out there and collect the money.
One thing led to another, we were
good managers and I tended to my business. I was on each and every job. I hired
my brother, E.G., to help me. The installation business just grew because our services were in such demand because we
did quality work and were there on every
job. And if we had a leak we were there in
the middle of the night to fix it. We just
treated people like you and I would want
to be treated.
How did you transform your roofing
installation business into a roofing
supply distributor?
In 1982, I was really having trouble
getting material. The distributors would
say they’d have it there at 7 in the morning and they wouldn’t have it until noon.
And one thing I don’t have is patience. If
someone tells me they’re going to do
something, I want them to do it! So I told
my wife and my brother that I was going
to buy this material, and that we were going to supply our own shops.
When I started the supply business,
the initial intent was just to supply myself,
and then we started supplying a few others. But by 1986, I realized I was really
competing on the installation side with
people I was selling to, and that became
a little bit of a problem. I finally decided
to get out of my installation business,
Best Top Roofing, let it die, and just relied
on the supply business.
Construction News ON LOCATION
In a world of dirt
Jim Helzer just can’t seem to stay off the roof.
What challenges did you face now as a
supplier?
I don’t think that I borrowed any
money until ’91 or ’92. We were doing
$50 to $60 million a year, but cash flow
was a bit tough and I was really trying to
grow. But we grew it.
I sold it July 1997, and stayed on as
the president and CEO. My acquirers had
another supply company, Eagle Supply.
We merged the two together in 1998,
and then we took them public in 2001
and changed the name to JEH Eagle from
JEH Company.
During the course of that time, we
continued to grow to 33 locations in nine
states, doing about $250 million a year,
becoming the fourth largest roofing distribution in the United States. We sold it
in 2004, and in the interim, I told my investors that not every year is a good year,
and we should have sufficient money
available to get through tough times.
They took a lot of money out of the company, and I wasn’t happy about that, because it really inhibited our cash flow. I
reinvested several million dollars back
into the company and got a big stake. So
when we sold it, I decided that I was probably going to stay out of the supply business.
What were your plans?
I run a lot of racehorses and I’ve got
some horses ranches and breeding operations. I thought I would spend my time
in the investment business, running my
ranches.
But you couldn’t stay away, could
you?
My non-compete expired in 2006. In
2008, I kept looking at the situation, even
though the building business had come
down. I thought, “Well, you know, everyone is kind of pulling in their horns a little
bit. This might be a good time for me to
get back in … “
I didn’t need the headache and I
didn’t need the money. But it’s for my
kids and for my brother and for the employees. I still retained the name JEH
Company – everybody recognized it. So
we started up a little over a year ago.
How is your re-established roofing
supply business faring in this economy?
We’re doing very well. When we
started up a year ago, we got most of our
good-paying customers back. So we’re
off and doing very well with five locations
and getting ready to open a sixth in Denver, CO. I owned a really big facility there
when I was in business before, so I’m putting it to use. At our Mansfield headquarters, we’re in the exact same location we
started at in 1982.
I think we’re about up to 40 employees right now. I think I only have one or
Foreman and truck driver Les Lawson of Cheaper Than Dirt Excavation
and Trucking in Azle takes a load off before going back for more. –mjm
two that didn’t work for me before. Out
of the 600 I used to employ, there probably isn’t a one of them that hasn’t called
me about coming to work for JEH.
That’s quite a compliment. Why do
you feel your employees remain so
loyal to you after so many years and
transitions?
I always put my employees first. At
Christmastime, I would call them all up
and ask if everyone was going to have a
good Christmas. I’d loan them the money
if they didn’t have enough, and give them
bonuses.
And I would work just as hard as the
employees. If we got behind, and I needed to run a forklift or I needed to unload
shingles, I would do it. That’s probably
the single biggest motivator of employees: You don’t ask them to do anything
you wouldn’t do yourself.
I just took care of them the way you
and I would want to be taken care of.
Once they come, my turnover rate is
nearly nil.
Tell me about your family and life
outside your business.
Our daughter, Kristina Kay, whom we
call “Kay,” has worked for me every year,
except for two, since high school. Our
son, Jay, has three children and he works
for me as well. We have a mercantile store
in Pilot Pointe where we sell feed and
western wear, and he runs that. In addition to that, they put on two horse sales
every year.
We live in Arlington. We’ve got three
commercial stallion farms – one in Texas,
one in Oklahoma and one in New Mexico.
I love it, every minute of it.
Will your children eventually oversee
JEH’s daily operations?
In the past two years, I have really
concentrated on getting them more involved in the business, giving them more
responsibility. My daughter’s done a lot
of my CPA work because she has a degree
in accounting.
Of course, my brother has been with
me since 1980, so that’s 29 years and he
does a magnificent job! Marilyn’s a homemaker now; she worked in the business
until 1990. Finally, we were doing well
enough to where she didn’t have to get
involved in it. But she’s still very active
and participates in it – and knows what
I’m willing to tell her!
JEH Company, which specializes in
roofing materials, is headquartered in
Mansfield, with branches in Dallas/Fort
Worth, Austin, Houston and Oklahoma
City. –mjm
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Page 7
Trans-locate
Concrete representation
L-R: Trans-Tex leadership Paul Allen, director of industrial fabrication; President John
Schuepbach; Al Davis, director of engineering and project management, and Shannon
Whalen, director of business development
L-R: Gary Farris, son Jamie and daughter Ashley Smith
make decorative concrete a family affair.
A
fter 20 years in the steel fabrication
business, Trans-Tex Fabricating
Company Inc.’s party could no
longer be contained in San Antonio.
So now the party’s in Irving as well.
Trans-Tex opened a North Texas location to complement its San Antonio locations and fabrication shops, and on Jul.
24, celebrated with an open house.
“It’s an introduction to let everyone
know we’re here,” Trans-Tex President
John Schuepbach says. “We actually
have this party every year in San Antonio,
since we’re established there. So we’re
bringing that north and we’re going to
have it up here.”
“We’re expanding into the market,”
Schuepbach continues. “We’ve done
some work up here in the past, but we
realized that we needed to have local
representation, a local sales force and local project management.”
A 10-year lease has been purchased
on the 2,200-sf office space for seven employees to conduct business – but there
is still room to grow.
“We like this space because there’s
available space next door in case we need
to take over that,” Shannon Whalen, director of business development, says.
And the location, Whalen says,
couldn’t be better. With Trans-Tex’s Irving
location only three minutes from the airport, it puts the company in close proximity to its Metroplex customers.
“This is actually something we’ve
been working on for several years now,”
Schuepbach says. “While other markets
are shrinking, the Texas market is still
holding its own. We’ve been able to capture some top talent to help take us to
the next level, so we’re really excited.”
Trans-Tex Fabricating Company Inc. is
a family- and employee-owned full-service
structural and miscellaneous fabricator
based in San Antonio. –mjm
I
f the name Farris Concrete Placement
sounds familiar, it’s because it is.
“My dad, Gary, and my uncle, Mike,
used to own Farris Concrete Company, a
ready-mix maker,” Jamie Farris says.
“They sold that to Southern Star. I could
have worked for them, but I was used to
working for a smaller company.”
Jamie wanted to apply the knowledge and experience he gleaned from
working in the family’s concrete business
and establish Farris Concrete Placement
with Gary in 2007. But decorative concrete was a completely new endeavor for
Jamie, whose first project was stamping a
patio.
“I always liked art growing up, but I
never pursued anything. And I’ve always
liked the decorative part of concrete,” he
says. “I knew a lot about the actual concrete, and I already knew all of the best
finishers and labor in the Metroplex,
which I think helped me. But there was a
lot to learn. It’s something new every
time, since there’s a lot of chemical reaction to this.”
“Jamie tells me he likes it because it’s
like making a painting,” Gary Farris says.
“Each one turns out a little bit different.”
It’s not the first time Jamie has
learned an unfamiliar aspect of the concrete business.
“I’ve sold concrete since I was 19
years old. When I started, I didn’t know
anything about it!” he says. “It was scary
at first, because I didn’t even know what
3000 psi concrete was. I actually had people tell me to get out of their office!”
Now, his knowledge of the business
has necessitated the addition of more
staff. Jamie’s sister, Ashley Smith, is the
company’s secretary and treasurer, and
his other sister, Kayli, will soon be joining
the family business.
Farris Concrete Placement is a familyowned decorative concrete company in
Fort Worth. –mjm
Page 8 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009
ACCOUNTING
Familiar with FLSA?
Tamara Black, Manager, Human Resource Services
Ridout, Barrett & Co., P.C.
San Antonio, TX
T
he Fair Labor Standards Act, or FLSA, covers numerous provisions. Three areas that most commonly
cause confusion are employee classifications, overtime
and travel time.
Employees are determined to be exempt or non-exempt from the minimum
wage and overtime requirements. This
classification is determined by a duties
and a salary test. The duties test applies
to groups such as executive, administrative and outside sales. One note of caution: this legislation was passed in 1938,
long before the term “administrative assistant.” So the administrative exemption
does not mean “secretarial”; it refers to a
position that exercises discretion and independent judgment with respect to
matters of significance. If your secretary
has the authority to write a check or make
a decision valued at $5,000, a court of law
might consider that significant.
For overtime purposes, a workweek is
defined as seven consecutive 24-hour periods (168 hours) and each workweek stands
alone. If a non-exempt employee works 44
hours one week, and 36 during the following week, the employee would be owed 4
hours of overtime for the previous week.
And paying an employee a fixed salary does not mean that employee is exempt from overtime requirements.
Whether you pay hourly or salary is simply the unit of payment; whether they are
owed overtime is the legal question.
Non-exempt employees who work unapproved overtime, where it is clear that
overtime must be approved, should be
disciplined; but you can’t withhold payment for time worked.
Then, there’s travel time. Normal
home-to-work travel is not work time
when the employee is using his/her own
vehicle, and travel to and from work locations after arriving at work is compensable time. But what if you ask an employee who drives a company vehicle to run a
business errand on the way to work? This
is why companies should have an agreement where incidental requests would be
excluded from compensable time.
An employee who rides in an employer’s vehicle from a meeting place to a
jobsite is not considered to be working.
The same is true when returning from the
last jobsite to home. This is not the case if
the employee performed any work before
traveling to the first jobsite or performs
work after leaving the last jobsite. Work
performed while traveling (i.e. reviewing
a report, drafting a proposal) must be
counted as hours worked. And, an employee is working when driving a vehicle,
equipment or personnel to a worksite.
Travel for a one-day assignment to
another city (no overnight stay) must be
counted as hours worked. The employee
must be compensated for travel to another city that occurs before, during and
after the employee’s regular working
hours. Meal periods and travel between
the employee’s home and the airport
need not be counted as hours worked. If
the event is normal, contemplated and
mandated for employment (annual training), travel is not compensable.
When an employee travels for work
away from home and is gone at least one
night, different rules apply. Travel during
an employee’s regular working hours, regardless of whether it occurs on a weekday or weekend, must be counted as
hours worked. Travel outside normal
working hours, regardless of whether it
occurs on a weekday or weekend, as a
passenger (plane, train, boat, bus or automobile) will not be compensable. If the
employee is required to drive a car or
other mode of transportation, the time
will be compensable, except for meal and
sleeping periods. If, however, an employee is offered the option of public transportation but requests to drive, you may
pay for time spent driving, or time it
would have taken using the offered public transportation.
The FLSA is lengthy and complicated.
This is meant only to clarify some of its
most common areas of confusion.
Tamara Black is a certified senior professional in human resources. Ridout, Barrett &
Co. specializes in construction accounting,
bonding, financial statements, job costing,
financial data, and offer professional services in tax, accounting, small business, human
resources and computer consulting.
INSURANCE
Perpetuation of your business,
leveraging trusted professionals
Joe Carroll Rust Jr., Benefits Adviser
IBTX Risk Services
San Antonio, TX
I
s your Buy/Sell structured and funded properly? Do
you know what your business’s future transition looks
like? Are you comfortable with who is taking over the
business (family member, employee or outside buyer)? What would happen to your
business in the event of your disability or death?
Not only do these and other ques- and exposures and help increase your
tions need to be answered for the success profits by minimizing risks.
5) Bonding relationship: Could be
of your business long term, but for your the same individual that handles insurown retirement planning as well.
Despite the recent economic down- ance. They know your bond capacity and
turn, if you are like many of our clients, capital requirements. This is crucial not
your construction business may have in- just to ensure you can bond a job, but
also by communicating with a financial
creased in value over the last decade.
Successful businesses must have a adviser you can make sure you don’t pull
bulletproof perpetuation “also called suc- out needed capital for bonding to fund
cession” plan. This plan should be fluid for perpetuation planning (life insurance
and maintained on a regular basis. Usu- premiums, retirement vehicles, and lump
ally, this involves several meetings with sum buyouts).
6) Financial adviser: As aforemenmultiple professionals, which takes up time and can be difficult. We have found tioned, your financial adviser can help
that the best way is to accomplish this is find the right life insurance and disability
to create a team of trusted professionals policies to help fund Buy/Sells. In addithat help you construct and execute your tion, your financial adviser should make
sure your individual retirement assets
plan.
The purpose of this article is to give work in conjunction with your business
you an idea of what this team looks like perpetuation plan.
7) Banker: With information on your
and a plan to utilize the team that will save you time and money. This team usu- financials, they can help with lines of
ally consists of: the ownership, your CPA, credit and loans if needed to fund a buycorporate attorney, insurance profession- out for a Buy /Sell.
The forum to get these resources
al/bonding relationship, financial adviser working on your plan can be a luncheon,
and your banker.
happy hour or whatever you like. Make
These roles include:
1) Ownership: Includes anyone who sure you have your agenda to the memcurrently has an ownership position or is bers prior to the meeting. Ask them what
potentially ownership. When everyone they need from the other professionals
is involved, there are fewer surprises and and relay that information.
In the past, when we have organized
the ability to see the rationale of using professionals teaches everyone to stay these for our clients as a courtesy, we find
that when everyone gets to know each
on the same course.
2) CPA: Can have multiple roles but other, the sharing of information comes
most importantly makes sure the busi- easier and opens up a constructive dianess and succession plan are structured logue.
Perpetuation planning is just one of
in the most tax-efficient manner. With all the tax changes and how they pertain to the major items that can be addressed in
certain businesses, the CPA is crucial be- this format. This trusted professional
cause they have all the business financial group can give you the same benefit as a
board of directors, similar to that of a Forinfo.
3) Corporate/estate attorney: Can tune 500 company. Their combined proalso have multiple roles but will help fessional areas of expertise will be fowrite all aspects of the Buy/Sell agree- cused to make sure the questions on the
ment and will update these documents. perpetuation of your business can be anIn addition, they also help you with creat- swered.
ing wills, trusts and other documents that
Joe Carroll Rust Jr. is a benefits adviser
will protect your assets, ensuring that ev- with Insurance and Bonds Agency of Texas.
erything you work hard for is protected.
4) Insurance professional: They help His focus is retirement plans, succession
manage the risk your business takes by planning and wealth transfer. He covers the
using the latest risk-transfer techniques. San Antonio, Austin and DFW offices and
Insurance is just a piece of the puzzle but can be reached at jrust@ib-tx.com or 800most of the time they know your losses 880-6689.
Construction News ON LOCATION
Van with a plan
L-R: Ralph Rivera, owner of Rivera Plumbing in Fort Worth, makes sure the van
has drinks and hard hats for his plumbers (and relatives) David Rivera
and Ruben Rangel before they leave to work in the heat. –mjm
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Page 9
LEGAL
Contingent Payment Clauses:
Show me the money!
David N. Harvey, Shareholder
Harvey & Associates, P.L.L.C.
Houston, TX
A
Contingent Payment Clause, also know as a “Pay-ifPaid” clause, is a risk-shifting clause commonly
found in subcontracts where payment to the subcontractor or supplier is “contingent” on the contractor’s
receipt of payment by the owner.
Generally speaking, if a contingent
payment clause is accepted and the contractor is not paid, then the contractor is
excused from his obligation to pay the
subcontractor or supplier. Historically, interpretation of contingent payment
clauses was often a matter for the courts
to decide. But that changed in 2007.
In 2007, the Texas Legislature’s efforts to address the subject of Contingent
Payment Clauses resulted in Texas Business & Commerce Code §35.521 (Agreement for Payment of Construction Subcontractor), which became effective on
Sep. 1, 2007.
Under the statute, a contractor may
not enforce a contingent payment clause
against a subcontractor if the owner’s
nonpayment is the contractor’s fault, unless the contractor’s breach was the result of the subcontractor’s breach. The
statute also provides three other scenarios where the enforcement of a contingent payment clause will be restricted.
First, the clause will be restricted if it
is contained within a “sham” contract, i.e.,
where the contractor is controlled by the
owner or an alter ego of the owner.
Second, the clause will be restricted if
the subcontractor objects to the enforcement of the clause and the contractor fails
to notify the subcontractor that the nonpayment is the subcontractor’s fault.
The subcontractor must wait 45 days
after submitting a pay application, which
is in accordance with the terms of the
subcontract, before presenting its objection in writing. Additionally, the subcontractor must submit a separate notice for
each pay application on which payment
has not been received.
To defeat the subcontractor’s objection, a contractor must respond within
five days and provide the subcontractor
with evidence that the owner’s nonpayment is not the contractor’s fault and is
due to the subcontractor’s failure to fulfill
its contractual obligations.
Third, the clause will be restricted if
its enforcement would be “unconscionable.” The statute does not define what
would be unconscionable. But a contingent payment clause will not be found to
be unconscionable if the contractor takes
certain steps to provide the subcontractor with meaningful information about
the owner’s ability to pay and, in the event
of nonpayment by the owner, the general
contractor must make reasonable efforts
to collect from the owner or provide a
pass-through to allow the subcontractor
to attempt collection on his own.
Finally, it is important to note the
items that are not impacted by the statute. The statute does not impact “Paywhen-Paid” clauses. A “Pay-when-Paid”
clause differs from a “Pay-if-Paid” clause
because a “Pay-when-Paid” clause only
delays the contractor’s obligation to pay,
it does not excuse it. Although the contractor may wait a “reasonable time” for
payment from the owner before paying
his subcontractors and suppliers, the
contractor is still obligated to pay the
subcontractors and suppliers even if he is
not paid by the owner. Additionally, the
statute does not apply to a contract that
is solely for:
(1) design services;
(2) the construction or maintenance
of a road, highway, street, bridge, utility,
water supply project, water plant, wastewater plant, water and wastewater distribution or conveyance facility, wharf, dock,
airport runway or taxiway, drainage project, or related type of project associated
with civil engineering construction; or
(3) improvements to or the construction of a structure that is a:
(A) detached single-family residence; (B) duplex; (C) triplex; or
(D) quadruplex.
The statute benefits both contractors and subcontractors. It allows contractors a mechanism to share the risk of
an owner’s financial failure with its subcontractors and suppliers.
At the same time, the statute protects subcontractors and suppliers from
unconscionable enforcement of a contingent payment clause if the owner’s nonpayment is the contractor’s fault. The
statute also allows both the contractor
and subcontractor the right to obtain information regarding the owner’s ability
to pay and the right to stop work if the
owner fails to provide the appropriate financial information.
David N. Harvey is a shareholder in
Harvey & Associates, P.L.L.C. The firm’s
practice areas include construction, business and real estate law, asset protection
and commercial litigation. He may be
reached at 281-376-2572 or
dharvey@harvey-law.net.
OSHA
OSHA updates acetylene law
Joann Natarajan, Compliance Assistance Specialist
OSHA
Austin, TX
A
revision to the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration's (OSHA) Acetylene Standard
replaces references to outdated consensus standards
with updated references reflecting current industry
practices in the acetylene industry. This rulemaking is a continuation of OSHA’s
ongoing effort to update references to standards developing organizations used
throughout its rules.
The revised standard requires that
employers ensure that in-plant transfer,
handling, storage and use of acetylene
cylinders comply with Compressed
Gas Association Pamphlet G-1-2003,
Acetylene. Piping systems, as well as
facilities and equipment, used to generate
acetylene or to fill acetylene cylinders are
required to comply with National Fire
Protection Standard NFPA 51A, Standard
for Acetylene Charging Plants.
"This final rule improves OSHA's
acetylene standards in providing safe
workplaces for workers by incorporating
current technology and safe industry
work practices," said acting Assistant
Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab.
"The rule will better enable employers to
fulfill their responsibility of protecting
the safety and health of their workers."
If the agency receives significant
adverse comments within 30 days of
publication, the accompanying Notice
of Proposed Rulemaking will allow the
agency to continue the rulemaking as
a "Notice and Comment" rulemaking.
If no significant adverse comments are
received, the Direct Final Rule will take
effect Nov. 9, 2009. This direct final rule
updates the standards referenced in
the three paragraphs that comprise the
Acetylene Standard. The Compressed
Gas Association (CGA) published several
editions of these standards after OSHA
adopted them in 1974, and one of
these standards (i.e., Compressed Gas
Association Pamphlet G–1.4–1966), is no
longer available for purchase from CGA.
Therefore, to ensure that employers have
access to the latest safety requirements
for managing acetylene, this rulemaking
is adopting the requirements specified
in the most recent versions of the CGA
standards.
The revision, recommended by both
the Compressed Gas Association and
the US Chemical Safety Board, is another
step in updating outdated references in
OSHA's standards.
The agency will accept public
comments on the Direct Final Rule
and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
until Sept. 10, 2009. Comments may be
submitted electronically by logging onto
http://www.regulations.gov, the Federal
eRulemaking Portal, then follow the
online instructions. If comments do not
exceed 10 pages, they may be faxed to
202-693-1648. If submitting comments
by mail, hand delivery or courier service,
send three copies to the OSHA Docket
Office, Docket No. OSHA-2008-0034, U.S.
Department of Labor, Room N-2625, 200
Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington,
D.C., 20210.
natarajan.joann@dol.gov
512-374-0271 x232
Page 10 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009
Construction News ON LOCATION
On the fence
Industry FOLKS
Robert “Bob” Nickel
Architectural Systems, Inc.
T
here was a phenomenon that once
puzzled Bob Nickel: In the halls of
every office he would visit for his sales
position with Architectural Systems
Inc., women would grin at him as they
passed him. And it wasn’t just the ladies – people in general seemed to go
out of their way to be friendly to Nickel
wherever he went. He even asked his
wife why she thought this was occurring. And then he realized – people
were simply responding to Nickel’s upbeat nature.
“Usually, I’m smiling, or whistling,”
he says. “When I get up, I’m excited
about the day, about opportunities
and things that I’m creating, about
learning. You’ve always got to dream
and learn. People get old because they
lose that ability. Even at my age now, I
dream about things I want to do.“
Publishing his espionage novel,
for example, is just one of Nickel’s
many dreams.
“I almost made a Texas-based
movie out of it,” he says. “I had all of
the people in line, but the money person backed out. But I’d rather have the
book. Movies, they change it so much.
Someday, maybe I’ll just set some
money aside and I’ll publish it myself.”
When Nickel doesn’t have a pen in
his hand, he has a pan, often creating
his specialties for guests at his Arlington home or at his weekend bungalow
in Jefferson, TX.
“I cook a lot,” he says. “I do a lot of
Italian, Creole or Cajun. I do what I call
‘smothered dishes.’”
When Nickel gets the chance, he
also likes to dabble in watercolors.
“I do mostly landscapes. Lately,
I’ve been doing abstracts,” he says. “I
decided to do watercolors because
it’s a challenge. Oils are a nice medium, but if you make a mistake, you
can cover it up. With watercolors, if
you make a mistake, you throw it
away and start again!”
Nickel, a grandfather of 14, inherited his love for art from his father,
who had a knack for drawing caricatures. He also credits his dad, a specialist for a tire company and oil company representative, with giving him
the “public speaking” gene.
“He gave a lot of public speeches,” he says. “Once, he gave me a
plaque. At the top, it said, ‘Don’t be
afraid to fail, for we feel a man who
maintains enthusiasm long enough
can succeed at anything.’
“I believe it’s important to maintain enthusiasm,” Nickel says. “Keep a
smile on your face. Have some fun,
have imagination. Enjoy what you’re
doing, because if you don’t enjoy
what you’re doing, you won’t do it
well.”
Headquartered in Dallas, Architectural Systems Inc. is a distributor of specialty construction materials throughout Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana and
Oklahoma. –mjm
Collin County Fence Supply’s operations manager of eight years, Teddy Love,
can’t decide what he enjoys supplying most – wood fence panels or ornate iron
fencing for commercial and retail projects. Good thing he doesn’t have to
choose between which to offer at the McKinney store. –mjm
What book would
you recommend?
“Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follett. I just
finished it early in the spring. It’s kind of
interesting, especially if you’re an architect because it talks about how a cathedral was built back in medieval times.
Darren James, KAI Texas
All of the “Twilight” books. I read all four
books in three weeks. It’s a getaway.
Melissa Hubbard, Stripe-A-Zone
Put me down for Green Eggs and Ham!
Whether you’re four or 40, it’s just a good
read!
Miguel Longoria,
George-McKenna Electrical Contractors
“Of Mice and Men,” although it’s been so
long since I’ve read it!
Jerry Gray, Les Gray and Company
This is going to sound kind of weird, but
it’s a book called “Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal” by
Christopher Moore. It’s a book about Jesus’ “lost years.”
Amanda Smith, Wooten Metal
“Twilight.” I like how it’s an easy read and
it’s so involving.
Katie Ecker, SKIHI Enterprises
“We’re No Angels.” I read it my freshman
year at Texas A&M.
Aaron Sacchieri, Polk Mechanical
The Bible. My favorite part is learning every day about life.
Sam Renz, Scott-Macon Equipment
I’m kind of old school; I guess it would be
“Old Yeller.” I liked the family values, the
hard work, and the integrity of the folks
in the book.
Randy Hazzard, Winston Water Cooler
“The Richest Man in Babylon.” I read it 10
years ago. Zig Ziglar told me to read it. I
worked at a country club he was a member of, and he told me to read that book.
It changed my financial life.
Bo Durham,
Southwest Construction Services
“Tuesdays With Morrie.” It teaches you
what’s important in life.
Bryant Hand, Marek Bothers Systems
“To Kill a Mockingbird.” It’s been a long
time since I read it, and why it sticks out
in my mind, I don’t know, but that would
have to be my favorite.
Terry Higgs,
LASCO Acoustics & Drywall
My favorite book is “The Lost Horizon.”
It’s an adventure; it’s a fantasy; it takes
you to a place you’ve never been.
Donna Bomengen,
TEPCO Contract Glazing
“Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand. It embodies
the philosophy that we’d all be better off
moving toward the objectivist philosophy.
Michelle Mallard, KPOSTCOMPANY
Dean Koontz’s “Watchers.” It is the most
excellent book I have ever read. The characters, the plot of the whole book, the
suspense thriller aspect of it, the way he
wrote it, it was just wonderful.
Amy Bentley, JW Electric
“Paradise Lost.” I had a great teacher in
college and we worked on it the whole
semester. I liked the other aspect of the
story of the Bible.
T.J. Bartlett, Lindab
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Page 11
over the years have come to expect the
good with the bad, the worst with the
best.
When fishing the surf, one must follow a
few guidelines. Surf fishing can be very
dangerous especially when fishing from
a boat if a few precautions are not taken.
Trust not the weatherman, but your instincts. They will serve you well, especially if you have a faithful beachfront informant who can look out the window of
his or her beach house, surf shop or pier
concession and provide current lowdown
on water conditions. Weather can change
suddenly, with just a slight wind increase
making it harder to maintain balance and
footing in the boat.
High salinities crowd
bay system
by Capt. Steve Schultz
Sponsored by:
Trans Sport Boats, Mercury Outboards,
Chris’s Marine, MotorGuide Trolling Motors, Power-Pole Shallow Water Anchor,
Pure Fishing, Pflueger Reels, All Star
Rods, MirrOlure, Bass Assassin and Columbia Sportswear.
I
really hate to start another column by
complaining about the lack of rain
down here, but this is ridiculous. This
drought is really starting to show some
drastic effects on the Coastal Bend. Our
farmers have already lost their cotton
and grain crops for the year, lake levels
are at dangerous all-time lows and some
of our bay systems are seeing higher salinities that have not been an issue for
some time. The most affected bays are to
the north between Aransas Pass and Port
O’Connor. These bays are usually fed by
rivers and streams that have not been
producing much runoff lately.
These higher salinities have driven fishing guides and recreational anglers both
from the northern bays to the Laguna
Madre where salt levels are still in check
and summertime trout fishing remains
consistent. The added guides to the Upper Laguna Madre have made fishing a
bit more challenging due to the overcrowding. A lot of the out-of-area guides
are not familiar with fishing the waters
Susan LaBrie, Emily Mikeska and Rosanna Robertson had a great day on the water
during the Travelers Ladies Seminar in August. Photo by Steve Schultz Outdoors.
south of the JFK Causeway, therefore feed
off others to find the hot fishing spots.
This is very evident when you see one
boat running with another boat close behind. One moves to another location and
the other follows. However, there are
other guides that are very courteous and
knowledgeable of the bay system and
have expressed embarrassment of their
fellow compadres.
These crowded conditions and high salinity bays have also pushed both guides
and fish into the surf. Late August and
September are very good months to fish
the surf because the weather can be very
predictable. Barring a stray hurricane,
surf fishing in late summer and early fall
can be very rewarding.
Surf fishing brings a new excitement to
late summer charters that have had so-so
trips in the bay systems. Trips are usually
quick when conditions are right, and limits of trout are usually a common occurrence. He who cannot cope with the humiliation of being skunked should leave
surf fishing to those battered salts that
For information in booking your next fishing trip,
give Capt. Steve Schultz a
call at 361-949-7359 or
visit
Baffinbaycharters.
com. Also please make
note of Steve’s new e-mail
address:
SteveSchultzOutdoors@
Good Luck
gmail.com.
and Good Fishing.
Cindy Fuller of San Antonio landed this 25” Speckled trout
using live croaker while husband Kenny looked on. The
couple were fishing with Capt. Steve Schultz last month.
Submitted to Construction News
STEVE SCHULTZ
OUTDOORS, LLC
Supplying smiles
National Wholesale Supply Inc. recently treated a few of their
biggest fans to a trip to Lake Comedero in Mexico.
N
ational Wholesale Supply Inc. is
serious about its fun.
Another item that is important on your
checklist is the tide chart. A four-tide day
is invariably the best, especially for the
fisher who targets incoming flow. Just as
important as the frequency of the tide is
its degree of rise or fall. When the water
moves a foot or more in
only four or five hours,
you can bet your favorite
popping rod that sooner
or later it will push the fish
into your turf. Keeping
these factors in the back
of your mind when planning your next surf fishing
trip can make it one to remember or just another
fishing outing.
For instance, the company recently
instituted a gun giveaway program,
where each of the company’s five
North Texas branches holds a
drawing for a firearm.
“Everybody on the same day
does their drawing,” says Dennis
Crump of National Wholesale
Supply Inc. “Every quarter, we arm
five plumbing contractors!”
Now that the weapons of
mass hunt-struction have been
doled out, it’s time for the company to grab some loyal vendors
and customers and get out in the
fresh air. They’re gearing up for
dove season. They’ve set their
sights on deer season. Last month,
it was off to see the Rangers play
– in Cleveland. And they took a
trip four months ago to Lake Comedero, which is located 100
miles northeast of Mazatlan, Mexico.
“Every quarter, we really try
to organize an outing,” says
Crump. “We’re trying to do things
that are really creative.” –mjm
BAFFIN BAY
LAGUNA MADRE
LAND CUT
SPECKLED
TROUT
REDFISH
FLOUNDER
FISHING AND
HUNTING TRIPS
(361) 949-7359
www.baffinbaycharters.com
steveschultzoutdoors@
gmail.com
U.S. Coast Guard &
Texas Parks and Wildlife Licensed
Page 12 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009
Ken Milam’s Fishing Line
Sponsored by Tropical Marine and Honda Marine
My name is Ken Milam and, for the past 26 years, I have been guiding fishing trips for striped bass on
Lake Buchanan in the Texas Hill Country. Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity of getting to know
a good many folks in the construction trade.
W
ell, no rain, no rise on the river
and the lake just keeps getting
lower by the minute.
As I write this, I can hear the roar of
an airboat engine while its occupants labor to get loose from getting stuck on
the mudflat. That is the only boat to be
up in this part of the “lake” in months and
it doesn’t seem to be going well at all.
Lake Buchanan is down to 47 percent
of its capacity and Lake Travis is at only 42
percent of capacity. The last boat ramps
on the lakes either closed this week or are
going to close pretty soon, and the whole
economy built around the lake and tourism industry is just drying up and blowing away. All the while the predictions
are for the lake levels to continue to fall
faster than a naked skydiver.
I went for a walk on the lake bottom
today. It is the only way left to get out on
the lake and even though you might
imagine that it would be pretty depressing, today I tried to go out with a vision of
hope for the future.
As I stroll past a little thicket of new
cottonwood trees as high as my head I
imagine the flash of angry little yellow
eyes glaring at me from within the
branches. Bass don’t like intruders messing up their dinner time, and I am an intruder in this world.
I come upon an old rusted-out barrel
from somebody’s boat dock. It has about
half of the top eaten away and I can just
barely see a glimpse of slick tan hide and
a beady little eye and one whisker tip
sticking out. Old mister yellow cat has
found himself a fine place to hide and
wait for his prey.
Coming to the top of a little rise in
the lake bottom, a sudden sparkling river
of life comes flashing toward me, and
over and under me and glancing past me
as a big school of shad flows past in a terrible hurry, and finally the reason for the
rush. Five big needle-nosed gar – a couple of them nearing 5 ft. in length – are
rocketing in and out through the school
of shad, sharp teeth flashing, looking for
all the world like something out of a dinosaur movie.
As I come to a patch of high grass in
the lake bottom on my way back out, I
brush past some foliage and an explosion
of life suddenly surrounds me. All tiny
eyeballs and wiggly tails by the thousands and too tiny to identify the species,
newly hatched baby fish scatter everywhere!
I am home again now and feeling
much better after my trip down into the
once and future lake. I will pray for rain
and dream of the day the lake fills up
again, because I know it will come back
better than ever!
This is what is left of the Colorado River flowing across the mudflat at Tow.
The one that got away – a beautiful thunderstorm that missed the lake.
The foreground is the barebones of the lake bottom.
The lake bottom is growing full of new life. The normal shoreline is all the way across where
you can see trees and hills, a couple of miles or more
Submitted to Construction News
Sir Paul sighting
Just a good bunch of kids and fish
He wasn’t actually in the audience on Jul. 15 when David Letterman played host to Sir
Paul McCartney, but it didn’t matter – Fred Anderberg, CISCO Masonry Supply, still had
a great view of the musician’s performance on the show. Anderberg had actually been
entered into a drawing to attend a Letterman taping but was not selected. But he did get
a ticket to spy. Vacationing in New York with his wife the day of McCartney’s appearance,
Anderberg was standing in front of the Ed Sullivan Theater when the legend (in the pink
shirt) perched on the marquee and crooned to the audience below! –mjm
Ken Milam Guide Service
(325) 379-2051
www.striperfever.com
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Page 13
Submitted to Construction News
Submitted to Construction News
On Lohn
Rolling on the river
F
This is how Jeff McColley, far right, rolls.
B
eing an electrician means never
having to rough it on those company getaways.
Just ask Jeff McColley, owner of
JW Electric in Arlington. When he takes
his supervisors camping and tubing on
the Guadalupe River every year, their
wiring skills come in mighty handy.
“Of course, we have air conditioning units that plug in to our tents,“ he
says. “And we built our own massive
stereo that’s on a tractor tube. It has solar panels on it, amplifiers in it – these
guys go crazy. You can hear it for about
four miles down the river. “
On a Friday morning, McColley
throws all of the camping gear into a
U-Haul. Then he loads up his river warriors into two 15-passenger vans so
that no one will have to drive.
“We rent out a full spot on the Guadalupe River and camp out right by the
water,” McColley says. “We get about
three rafts and 15 inner tubes and we
just play until Sunday when we roll it all
up and come on home. It’s just the biggest time in the world.”
It’s so big of a time that only one
souvenir can sum up the experience.
“We got hats that say, ‘I survived
the Guadalupe!’” And some of that
credit can be attributed to knowing
which wire is which. –mjm
or XLNT Group Inc. father-son
duo Mike and Justin Ballard,
a deer lease in Lohn, TX, is their
hunter’s haven.
Haven’t heard of it?
“There’s a reason for that: No
one ever goes there,” Justin says.
”It’s 20 miles north of Brady, TX. I
don’t even think it has a post office; it has a co-op and a six-man
school [sports team]. And that’s
it!”
The town’s lack of urban sophistication doesn’t bother the
Ballard boys one bit. In fact, the
two, who have hunted together
since Justin was old enough to
hold a rifle steady, spend every
other winter weekend at the
lease.
Last season, Justin shot this
9-pointer, while his dad earned
bragging rights on a 12-point
deer.
Justin Ballard with his nine-point prize.
“It’s great to get away,” Justin says. “It’s
hard to do that during the year, so that’s our
time.” –mjm
Mike Ballard had a bit of luck at the Lohn lease.
Cheers!
Submitted to Construction News
Good clean Cowboys fun
Oh, the things
Construction News
editors must do for
their work (sigh,
holding hand to
forehead)! Poor me,
while covering an
event held at the new
Cowboys’ Stadium,
I just HAD to tour the
Cowboys locker room,
and I just HAD
to inspect the players’
shower area as well.
As you can see from
my face, I just hated
every minute of it,
didn’t I?
– Melissa Jones-Meyer,
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News editor
(reporting to you live
from the shower)
Page 14 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Page 15
School of shard knox
Board “om”
L-R: Donna McClendon, chairman of knoxtile, and her staff express themselves
D
onna McClendon would have
mastered the math world had it
not been for the “C” word.
“I started out as a math major,” she
says. “I liked the logistics, the fun of figuring things out. But … I hated the otherworld thinking of calculus. “
McClendon detested it so much that
she even studied English politics before
finding her niche.
“I think everything is working toward
“How are you going to express yourself?’”
she says. “Ceramics was a very functional,
physical form of expression. I enjoyed
that, taking my thoughts and visions,
making them come out in a physical
piece.”
As an art major specializing in ceramics, she studied with a graduate of Alfred
University, a well-known ceramics science school in New York. During that
time, she mixed her own clay and made
her own glazes, helped build 10 different
kilns and learned nearly every firing process available.
But after owning a studio for seven
years, she needed to escape the stress of
being an artist and businesswoman. A
position at a stone and tile materials company suited her background, and when it
folded due to a poor economy she took
the materials and worked for David Knox
of knoxtile. It wasn’t long before she and
husband, Olon, whom she met as a University of Dallas student, purchased
knoxtile in 2000.
“My husband was a drama major,
and he’s done a lot to help set the stage.
It’s really helped to leave me free to work
the way I like to work. I get to use my creative leanings, but it comes down to a
basic love of the materials. It’s really a
method of communication and expression.”
Located in Dallas, knoxtile is a supplier
of ceramic tile and stone products. – mjm
Well, shoot!
Coty Owens Electric Service team. L-R:
Lonnie Mears Jr., AGIA Incorporated; Coty
Owens, Coty Owens Electric Service; Danny
Abshire, Danny M. Abshire & Co.; Martyn
King, Journeyman Staffing, and Kenny
Robinson, Kenny’s Plumbing
M
ore than 70 shooters went banging about at the Alpine Shooting
Range in Fort Worth Aug. 21. The
riflemen attending the Independent
Electrical Contractors (IEC) 3rd annual
Clay Shoot killed some clay for a chance
to win a Browning Silver Hunter 12 gauge,
cash, and contribute to a cause: Proceeds
benefit the association’s apprenticeship
program. –mjm
1st place: Coty Owens Electric Service
2nd place: The Sweeney Company
3rd place: Zubras Electric Inc.
4th place: Legrand North America Team
Tommy Brundrett, Zubras Electric,
won the rifle raffle.
D
arren James, president and COO
of KAI Texas LC, is what you might
call “on board.” The 2010 chairelect for Dallas County’s Big Brothers Big
Sisters board of directors also serves on
the board for the Community Council of
Greater Dallas, and also for the Dallas Architectural Foundation. And just so he
doesn’t get bored with all of the boards,
he recently graduated from Dallas Regional Chamber’s Leadership Class of 2009.
But despite the stress of a packed
schedule, the father of two doesn’t look a
day older than his 23-year-old daughter,
and attributes his worry-line-free skin to
something he discovered while attending the University of Kansas.
“In college, I was stressing out about
something,” James remembers. “And it
just hit me: If I can’t control it, I’m just going to let it go. Since that time, I just don’t
let it bother me.”
James credits passion for his craft as
another reason he’s so chill.
“I’ve wanted to be an architect since I
was 6 years old. My father worked for an
engineering company. I was playing with
an erector set one day and told him I
wanted to be a contractor. He said, ‘Do
you want to have decisions made for you
or do you want to make decisions?’ I said,
‘I want to make decisions!’ So he said,
‘You might want to think about going
into architecture.’ Ever since then, that’s
what I’ve wanted to do.
“I enjoy what I do,” James says. “I love
it. When I do career fairs and talk to the
students, I tell them, ’You’ve got to be
passionate about what you do. I think
about my career. I’ve done a zoo, an airport, housing, shopping centers, churches – you name it, I’ve done it. So it’s been
very dynamic. I don’t get bored.”
Headquartered in Dallas, KAI Texas LC
provides MEP engineering, architecture and
other design services. –mjm
Page 16 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009
Exchange of ideas
Art work
M
echanical contractors got together at their annual conference
at the Moody Gardens Resort
Hotel & Conference Center in Galveston
Jul. 22 –26.
In addition to educational sessions
and a product show, a golf tournament
took place at the Moody Gardens Golf
Course on the last day. The Mechanical
Contractors Association of Texas (MCA)
held the event. –ab
NIBCO
W
Milwaukee Valve
Star Pipe Products
Ameripipe Supply
Technical Sales International (TSI)
L-R: Color them inspired! Sharla Lindamood, Jose Alvizo, owner Matt Price,
Armando Hernandez and Manuel Gonzalez love their unique shop.
hen the shop doors are pulled
up at MP Custom Fabrications
LLC, it takes more than a minute
for the eyes to adjust – not just to the
sunlight streaming in, but also to what
the eyes are seeing.
It’s a floor-to-ceiling graffiti artist’s
dream, a Technicolor backdrop for the
projects in progress. Not that the projects
themselves – two dramatic spiral staircases his crew is constructing for a highend furniture store – need the extra staging. But this kind of creativity is what inspires owner Matt Price, whose own tattooed arms rival his office walls with their
bursts of color.
And it’s why he let a gaggle of kids,
and an employee’s ex, go crazy with the
spray paint. It’s a visual reminder to stay
open to whatever direction his four-yearold business may take.
A welder since he was a 16-year-old
in southeast Idaho, Price was transferred
to Kansas City for his work before moving
to Dallas in 1996 to weld motors for a car
manufacturer. It took marriage and the
birth of his two children to spur Price to
create his own business. With the help of
a friend who owned a billiard company,
Price learned to make pool tables and set
up a shop in his garage. Three shops later,
each one larger than the last, Price is excited with each new challenge his welding jobs present.
“Steel buildings, handrails, guardrails, demolition – we really do anything,”
Price says. “That’s why I call it ‘MP Custom.’ I want to diversify.”
For Price, the business is a perfect fit
for his personality and the work he loves.
“It’s everything - the creativity, the
people I work with, the enjoyment, the
fulfillment, and the companies I deal with
… it’s awesome.”
MP Custom Fabrications LLC in Irving
offers a variety of custom fabrication and
demolition services. –mjm
Fire department
T
L-R: Rick and Kenny Kimbrough flank some of the ladies (and gentleman)
who are the objects of their appreciation.
he men of Kimbrough Fire Extinguisher Company know the drill:
One day each month, it’s “Girls Day
Out.”
The nine women in the office receive
the company card and specific instructions from President Rick Kimbrough
and Vice President Kenny Kimbrough to
take a two-hour lunch together and then
to go do something fun, maybe visit a
quilting shop or an antique mall. The men
of the company, including the two brothers, will man the phones or put out any
work-related fires – pardon the pun – in
their absence.
Needless to say, when the women
return, they are happy, and the fill-ins are
happy to have them back.
“It’s a good morale booster,” Rick
says. “They come back with a smile on
their faces. They really enjoy that.”
Don’t worry about the guys: They
have their share of fishing trips. And everyone enjoys the cookouts and sporting
events the company sponsors.
It’s just a few of the ways Rick and
Kenny, who established the business in
1982, show how much their 50 employees are appreciated, although they’re the
ones who feel rewarded.
“There are many positive things, but
I think the most important one is we’ve
been able to offer a position to many of
our family and friends.
“Most everyone who has worked
here has been here a long time,” Rick
says. “We’ve had very little turnover in
our business. We’ve had people in the office who have been here 26 years. When
someone comes on board, we need to
like them a lot, because they’re going to
be around a while.”
Kimbrough Fire Extinguisher Company
in Arlington specializes in sales, service and
installation of pre-engineered fire suppression systems and extinguishers in schools,
restaurants, churches, and, most recently,
the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium. – mjm
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Page 17
Green Building Trends
‘Greenwashing,’ high costs
issues
Gary Gene Olp, President
GGO Architects
Dallas, TX
What are the “hot button” issues in your industry?
One of my hot issues is “green washing.” You go on the
Internet today, and every contractor, every architect, every interior design firm – everybody’s “green.” Everybody is “sustainable.” Everybody’s
building “green projects” and “sustainable projects.“
But it’s “greenwashing.” It really is.
You can pick some really nice sustainable,
green materials, can collect your construction trash and recycle it. You can pat
yourself on the back and feel like you’ve
done something “green.”
But does that building make a real
difference in terms of regional air quality,
in terms of regional water use or have any
impact on reducing overall waste streams
to landfill? Does that building do anything to address the warming of the planet, to create wind corridors, to promote
or sustain other life forms beyond our
own in terms of trees, plants, animals and
birds?
True sustainability is really that balance. You can have all of those buzzwords, and market yourself, and feel
good about it, but are you really making
a difference? That’s how I look at it.
What’s the most significant challenge
in construction?
When times are tough, people go
back to what they know. In my case with
green buildings, people are not as “green”
as they used to because it’s cheaper to go
buy something that is poorly built from
cheap materials, not durable and not energy efficient, but just skirts the threshold of slightly improving codes.
Solar energy - new frontiers
Andrew H. McCalla, CEO
Meridian Solar Inc.
San Antonio and Austin, TX
What is the importance of green building for the future of our planet?
The planet is going to be just fine no matter what we
do, or don’t do, with regards to our construction practices. It works on a completely
different timeline than anything we are really able to comprehend.
So, I think the real concern here is one of habitat (ours), and its care and preservation. This planet, our home, is a closed system, so sustainable building practices are an
imperative for ensuring that it is as comfortable and functional as possible. Solar electric systems, by allowing buildings to produce some of their own electricity, are part of
that imperative.
What are the “hot button” issues in
your industry?
I would say price – as it has been for a
long time. There has long been a goal of
driving costs out of solar electric installations, for obvious reasons, but we are
now at a point where solar electric installation costs are approaching, or passing,
conventional electricity costs. Will it ever
replace any and all other energy sources?
No, but it is, with every passing year, representing more and more of the global
energy fuel mix.
How would you describe the state of
the construction industry?
From what I hear, the construction
industry has, generally speaking, slowed
down. However, since we are involved in
but one section of it, and one that has
continued to grow at exponential rates,
we haven’t seen anything akin to a slowdown. To the contrary.
What factors are driving this increase?
Multiple factors. Most of our clients
How about cost increases?
The cost to build just before this bust
– and it’s starting to soften now – was almost unreasonable. You couldn’t secure
good pricing on anything, or you could
get a good price if you bought it within
the next two hours, and then it would go
up from there. The cost of building was
almost out of control.
Until that settles down, that’s going
to be a challenge.
How are you dealing with this challenge?
We’re always designing with fewer
pieces. The costs are greater so we’re trying to think about fewer materials, less
finishes. Lighter. More efficient. Less
maintenance. The statement “less is
more” is more significant in its meaning
today than it ever was.
I met [architect and inventor] Buckminster Fuller one time when I was a student at the University of Cincinnati. He
said, “Someday when you’re on your own
and practicing, ask yourself how much
your buildings weigh.” I thought he was
just nutty – what difference does it make
what a building weighs? Now I understand! What he was saying was that the
have awareness of energy prices (recognizing that they are neither stable, nor
declining) and of the negative and unsustainable environmental attributes of conventional energy’s production. Furthermore, there can be, with local and federal
incentives, a very compelling financial argument to pursuing a solar electric system in residential, commercial and industrial applications.
How has this increase affected your
company and how you conduct business?
We’ve grown. When I started Meridian 10 years ago, there was one full-time
guy (me) and two part-time employees
working out of a garage. Today, we’ve
grown to a staff of 35 (with six more hires
planned for this quarter) with offices
planned for several other cities.
What are the major changes in the industry?
In recent years, the biggest change
has been one of average system capacity,
or size. What would have been a really
big system a few years ago doesn’t even
rank anymore. The scale is changing –
again, exponentially.
Any cost increases?
Not that it should, but labor is not
heavier a building is, the more impact it
has on the environment. It uses more material, and so on. The lighter the design is,
aesthetically, mechanically, structurally,
as well as the materials, the more efficient
the building is, the lighter the building is
ecologically.
What are the keys to being successful?
Staying true to our mission, which is
to avoid “greenwashing.” With each project, we need to ask ourselves, “What is
the simplest, most effective, sustainable
solution? Does it represent economy for
the user for all of the life that’s affected
by that?” When we look at it that way, it
always will be the most cost-effective solution. I think that is the key to staying
successful in what we’re doing. –mjm
Gary Gene Olp, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, is
the founder and president of GGOArchitects
in Dallas. Involved with the LEED rating system since the inception of the U.S. Green
Building Council, Olp has acquired Silver,
Gold and Platinum certification for many of
his buildings, and is on the USGBC North
Texas Chapter’s board of directors.
getting any cheaper. Furthermore, we
deal with a lot of commodities (steel, aluminum, silicon), so we are subject to the
inherent fluctuations there.
What’s on your horizon?
I anticipate lower costs and improved
efficiencies for modules and power conversion devices, an improved regulatory
landscape for the technology, and innovative business models, changing how
the technology is implemented.
What are your rewards?
I got into this industry because I
though it should be big, not because I
knew it would be big. Now that it is maturing, financial reward is, of course, nice.
But the real reward is knowing that every
day there is more clean, quiet, distributed
generation being installed in the world.
What are keys to being successful in
the industry?
As with any, passion.
Meridian Solar Inc. was founded more
than a decade ago as a solar electric design
and installation firm, both residential and
commercial. Meridian has completed hundreds of projects, including the recent Pearl
Brewery project in San Antonio. –kf
NEXT MONTH
OCT 2009
Support Your Industry’s Feature Issue
Specialty Contractors
2009
Schedule
Jan: Construction Forecast
Feb: Construction Safety
Mar: Construction Education
Call for Ad Space
Reservations
Apr:Women in Construction
May:Concrete Industry
Jun: HVAC & Plumbing
•
•
•
•
San Antonio
Austin
Dallas/Ft. Worth
Houston
July:Electrical Industry
Aug:Service Providers
Sep: Green Building Trends
(210) 308-5800
Oct: Specialty Contractors
Nov:Engineers & Architects
Dec: Construction Equipment
Page 18 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009
Green Building Trends
Moving forward,
building green
Angelique Grado, Owner
Green Builders Source
Spring, TX
From your perspective, what is the current state of
the construction industry?
The building and construction industry tracks very
heavily to the economy. If people are finding that they can generate revenue or realize wealth in their business structures, then they will continue to invest.
Here at Green Builders Source, we
saw a downturn after Hurricane Ike. We
saw this after the Christmas season
through February. I think, at the time,
people were more concerned with having a comfortable place to work and live,
than worrying about if it was green.
Have you seen any trends in green
building?
According to several university studies, going green is the single largest consumer movement in 70 years.
There isn’t a manufacturer out there
that can afford to be asleep at the wheel
right now and not acknowledge that.
People want healthier, more energy- efficient homes and offices. They want to
make a conscious purchase that is going
to last.
Describe the challenges in your industry.
People think the word “green” is the
green movement from Europe. This is
based on politics and perception.
There are people who have pigeonholed the term “green” into a category.
There is a misconception that green is
someone who doesn’t wash their hair, or
someone who only eats yogurt. This is
not the case at all.
What are the rewards of green building?
Rewards for me have been altruistic
and having a tie to the community, as opposed to turning a dollar.
What are the keys to success?
I think timing is important. I heard
that at the last green building expo in
Houston, several people who participated the first year, their businesses didn’t
survive the second time around.
I don’t know if it was their business
plan or if it was the economy. It is unfortunate that there have been some businesses that have been around for 60 years
and haven’t made it through this time.
I think developing and maintaining
good relationships in the industry is crucial. You also have to do your research on
the products. New products on the market may have been tested but maybe
haven’t been tested in a particular climate. I think it takes fortitude to be successful. You can’t be afraid to keep moving forward.
What do you see on the horizon?
I think the general U.S. consumer
would be pleased to realize that manufacturers are becoming more responsible.
We learned a lot of lessons outsourcing manufacturing to China. We have
seen plastic in food, poisons in toothpaste and lead in toys. Cancer rates have
skyrocketed near the manufacturing areas in China.
I think manufacturers have learned
that this is not sustainable. If your community isn’t healthy, they can’t work. If
they can’t work, they can’t afford to buy
anything. I think after the industrial revolution, we realized we could be so sophisticated and make these amazing things,
but we polluted and wasted a lot in the
process. I think now we are having our
next evolution.
I believe if we don’t go through that
evolutionary process, we will never have
peace and harmony. We have to go
through some learning phases.
I love the fact that a main component of green building is conserving and
conservation.
Green Builders Source provides contractors, builders, remodelers and owners
with products and systems to make structures more energy-efficient, toxin-free and
earth-friendly. Angelique Grado started the
company in April 2008. She has a master’s
degree in systems engineering from St.
Mary’s University in San Antonio. –ab
Green on the inside
Kurt DeRuiter, Owner
DeRuiter Insulation Inc.
Cedar Park, TX
How would you describe the state of the construction industry in general terms?
At the beginning of 2009, we experienced a definite
slowdown in new construction. The problem seemed to be the inability for people to
fund their projects.
Fortunately, the feds have offered some enticing incentives designed for energy
savings in the form of federal tax credits. People can visit www.EnergyStar.gov for
more information.
How has the slowdown affected your
company?
This year, business has been down as
a whole. Fortunately, we put a little money away last year in preparation for the
proverbial “rainy days.” Additionally,
we’ve tightened our belts, re-negotiated
pricing on raw materials and broadened
our scope of work.
What are the “hot button” issues in
your industry?
These days the “hot button” is “Going Green.” Being a foam contractor,
green is what we are all about. Foam is
one of the best insulation materials on
the market today.
Why is foam insulation considered a
green product?
Foam insulation is considered a
green product, not because it is made up
of renewable resources, but because it
ultimately saves and conserves energy.
Heat is transferred in three ways:
through conduction (R-value), convection (air movement) and radiation.
Fiber-based insulations offer protection from conduction only, and air movement through fiber-based insulation will
decrease its R-value up to 50 percent.
Foam is an air barrier product in itself, and therefore offers a constant Rvalue impervious to air movement.
Have there been major changes in recent years relating to foam insulation?
With the acceptance of foam insulation, and the fact that it works so well, we
have seen a major change in market
share.
When we started spraying foam in
2001, we were trying to get just 1 percent
of the market. Today, we see more and
more manufacturers and applicators entering the market.
What is the most significant challenge
you face?
Competition. You invariably get
those who are willing to do whatever it
takes to get a piece of the action, and my
fear is that quality control will diminish as
shortcuts are taken.
What cost increases are there relating
to foam insulation?
Our cost increases are not what you
might expect. This year, our fuel and foam
costs have actually gone down.
Unfortunately, the amount of construction work available has been much
less, and it’s spread out much farther,
making the time and energy it takes to
produce go up substantially.
How are you dealing with these challenges?
We are doing what we set out to do
all along: provide the best possible service at the best possible price without
sacrificing quality or financial responsibility.
What are the rewards of the foam insulation industry?
Making a difference is what is most
rewarding. Being able to provide clients
with a more comfortable environment
that costs them less to maintain and saves
energy is pretty rewarding.
What are keys to being successful?
One of the biggest keys to success in
our industry is knowledge. By understanding how your product works and
how to maximize its use is part of a “practical systems approach,” which is key to
our industry. –va
Working with foam insulation since
1994, Kurt DeRuiter established DeRuiter Insulation Inc. in 2003. The foam contractor
company specializes in ultra energy-efficient consulting and insulation The company website is www.deruiterinsulation.
com.
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Page 19
Green Building Trends
Roofs: Survival of the greenest
Jeff Mickler, President and CEO
Jacob White Construction Company
Friendswood, TX
A year ago in September, 110 mph winds howled for 12
hours straight at the Johnson Space Center. While Hurricane Ike was battering the Houston area, a green roof on a medical building in Webster, TX,
suffered “zero damage,” according to the builder. General contractor Jeff Mickler says the
plants didn’t even lose their leaves.
Since completing 251 Medical Center Blvd. – a LEED Gold Registered building – Mickler’s company built its own office with a green roof, started a green-roofed “sister building”
next door to the medical center, and has begun a fourth project with a green roof.
Obviously, green roofs are a technology you’re sold on.
It is. When we’re developing projects
or we’re building things, we look at 20
years out. We don’t look at two years out.
If it works for us then, it should work for
us in all situations.
We operate our buildings at half the
operating cost of any other buildings in
the area.
Is that due to the insulation factor of
the green roofs?
It’s not just one thing. It’s a combination of several factors. The green roof is
certainly a pivotal factor.
Why a green roof? If the sun can’t hit
it, it can’t hurt it. What tears up a roof, certainly in the Texas market, are the UV rays
and the sun constantly beating down on it
for however many hours it’s shining,
whether it’s winter, summer, spring or fall.
Every five years or so, you’ve got to
do maintenance on normal roofs.
But the sun doesn’t hurt dirt.
We have no maintenance on our roof,
with the exception of when we have the
weeds pulled. The guy goes up there and
spends about 10 minutes a day pulling
weeds.
There’s just little to no maintenance.
Doesn’t it need to be watered?
We irrigate it from water we’ve collected off the site. The water we’ve collected off the site doesn’t cost us anything, so irrigating the roof doesn’t cost
us anything.
What that gains us, though, is in the
morning we’ll irrigate the roof and it creates an evaporative cooling effect. So
after we’ve watered it, and water starts
evaporating, it starts cooling the soil even
further.
When it was 102 a month ago, we
tracked the temperatures on the soil, and
the soil temperature never got above 80
degrees on the bottom of the soil.
Instead of cooling from 102 down to
72, we’re cooling from 80 to 72. So we
don’t have that far to go.
Are green roofs becoming more popular in Texas or are they still fairly rare?
We’re probably on the leading edge
of that, by leaps and bounds. We are seeing a lot more activity within that market.
We’re doing a project now on the
Gulf Freeway that would not be possible
if we didn’t have a green roof on it.
This particular site, right on the Gulf
Freeway, did not have any sewer avail-
Next to the award-winning, green-roofed
251 Medical Center,
Jacob White Construction Company is building
another green project.
This green roof was untouched by Hurricane
Ike last September.
ability. They didn’t ever anticipate having
any sewer available for this site, so we
had to put a commercial septic system in
it, and our field drains are actually our
green roof.
So green roofs can solve site constraints?
Yes. We also have detention requirements that are increasing, at least in
Houston. Putting a green roof on eliminates the detention requirements for the
footprint of the building.
So now we’re having to detain less
water on the site. The only thing that
we’re disturbing on the natural site is just
concrete for the parking lot. The building
and the landscaping areas are all green.
And so we’re absorbing a lot of that natural water that falls in there.
Now we also are able to put our detention under the parking lot and we
hold that detention and that’s the water
we re-use to irrigate the site, irrigate the
landscaping, and actually flush the toilets
in the building.
On the 251 building – that’s a 50,000sf medical office building – the highest
water bill we’ve gotten is $179.
Jacob White Construction Company,
founded by Jeff Mickler, won the Texas Water Department Board’s Rain Catcher Award
in 2007 and the 2008 Landmark Award for
Best Green Building for its 251 Medical Center building in Webster, TX. –ld
Going green and return on
investment
Sal Rastegar, Founder
www.MakeGreenCount.com
Austin, TX
M
aking an investment in which you can expect a
solid return means walking the narrow line of distributed cost, long- term vision, and, yes, putting faith in
doing the right thing. The underlying concern in many organizations is that although they would
like to be socially responsible they cannot justify the cost in this economy. However, presidential addresses and initiatives indicate that going green and using
renewable energy are the cornerstone
and the life-blood of the new economy.
Federal stimulus efforts have dedicated
billions of dollars to renewable energy
and incentives for organizations adopting sustainable standards. How do we prove that building green
is not just fashionable? How do we remind corporations that consumer demand is the wind behind the green
movement and that demand ultimately
fuels the free market? Building green can
save money through immediate energy
cost savings. It can create a return on investment by reinventing a corporation’s
image and reputation.
Building green is not just a fad. How
we do we measure this resource? Products must meet stringent criteria measured by third-party certifiers. In addition, other vehicles are available, such as
software that automates energy savings.
People are changing their relationship with our planet organization by organization, and community by community. The green movement affects every
industry. The isolationist NIMBY (not in
my backyard) view is no longer acceptable and has expanded to “not on my
planet.”
Companies, nongovernmental organizations and government agencies are
now collaborating on solutions and are
not passing the buck. Businesses that
take advantage of this change in corporate climate will benefit and grow while
those that don’t will be left behind to languish.
There are tremendous drivers that
are propelling the green industry forward. Local energy companies have been
allocated funds by the federal government to provide conservation incentives
for commercial buildings. The underlying reasons for going green are too strong
for businesses to dismiss. It is being supported by both regulations and economic
incentives and therefore unavoidable. This combined with the buying power of
the consumer justifies the cost. Early
adopters will be identified as leaders in
the green movement and will continue to
be looked to as leaders in other industry
aspects.
In addition, there are cost-effective
options to contribute or support the renewable energy generation. One notable
way is to purchase RECs (renewable energy credits or Green Tags) from a broker
or electricity supplier. By purchasing
RECs you are adding renewable energy
to the mix, that is to say when an electric
grid receives electricity it can be from renewable or traditional sources. When
you buy RECs you show a commitment
and support to the expansion of renewable energy and proving to your customers and clients your contribution. Among the leaders in REC purchasing
are Intel, Wells Fargo and Pepsi who bought
enough RECs to match the total electricity
used in each of their U.S. facilities. Another way companies can contribute to the environment is by builders and
contractors using salvaged materials because it is a great component of regional
waste diversion. By using salvaged materials you can create a market and avoid
extraction, processing and transport of
virgin material. Founder of Make Training Count, Sal
Rastegar specializes in the green industry,
environmental management, the hospitality industry, regulatory workshops and online training. He also presents workshops
on green building and return on investment
at construction expos. Rastegar can be
reached at SRastegar@MakeGreenCount.
com. –ld
Page 20 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009
H
Military intelligence
Greeting cards
Jeff McColley’s management style keeps his troops marching forward.
L-R: Brandt Engineering’s Kim Simmons and McCaslin-Hill Construction Inc.’s
Bridget Feldman make sure Barbara Loden of CH2M HILL is in the fold at the
hold ‘em. Loden was one of 86 registered card sharks at the TEXO Building
Aug. 14, ready to throw down for a cause: National Association of Women
in Construction’s (NAWIC) Dallas chapter, which hosted the event,
put the proceeds toward its scholarship fund. –mjm
e doesn’t make his employees
drop and give him 20 or scrub the
restrooms clean with a toothbrush. But Jeff McColley, owner of JW
Electric Inc. is the first to admit his employee motivational techniques are ...
unique.
“We’re actually more than unique,”
McColley says. “We run it sort of militarystyle. It’s a little odd how it all works.”
By military-style, McColley means
that his 250 employees are accounted for
– and held accountable.
“We hand scan everybody when they
come in, and track them through radios
so we know where they are at all times,”
he says. “Everything is given out by the
pieces, exact, put together for the kind of
job they have to do. They have to be in
uniform and keep their trucks clean and
organized. And they have to wear their
hardhats and safety glasses.“
And if they don’t comply?
“We have ticket books for all of this,“
he explains. “They’re fined. Instantly, it’s
taken out of the paycheck that week.”
McColley says that his employees actually like the regime.
“Our workers love it because it’s the
same every day,” he says. “There’s no up
or downs, or misunderstanding about
what we expect out in the field.“
McColley didn’t attend military
school, but developed his work ethic
from his stepfathers, one of whom was a
master electrician and one who owned a
wrecking yard. He started the business at
the age of 22, mapping out his business
plan in the back of a Suburban for 22
hours with $1,000 in his pocket.
Seventeen years later, he uses that
same work ethic to oversee his employees. However, if it came down to it, one
ticket might be hard to write – his mom,
Rebecca, does the recordkeeping.
Based in Arlington, JW Electric Inc. is an
electrical contractor specializing in commercial, industrial, remodeling and tenant
finish-out projects. – mjm
McCarthy Building Companies Inc.
made the following announcements:
Ed
Prendergast
joined as vice president of preconstruction services
for the firm’s Texas
division. Prendergast previously was
vice president and
director of preconstruction for the
healthcare division of Balfour Beatty Construction Company in Dallas.
Colleen
Martindale joined the firm
as a civil estimator
for the firm’s Texas
division. Prior to her
new role, Martindale was a project
engineer intern at McCarthy.
Submissions
Round-Up
CISCO bid
Round-Up
Ashley Carter recently joined the
sales and marketing
team at AUI Contractors. Carter is a
graduate of Texas
A&M.
CORE Construction
recently
named
Charles A. Buescher III as director
of business development. Buescher
will focus on the
company’s municipal,
educational,
and park and recreation business sectors.
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 Antonio:
saeditor@constructionnews.net
Austin:
austineditor@constructionnews.net
Dallas/Ft. Worth: dfweditor@constructionnews.net
Houston:
houstoneditor@constructionnews.net
Construction News ON LOCATION
Prince of Monaco’s
Fred Anderberg’s career in the masonry business is bricked in.
A
fter graduating from a small Texas
high school, Fred Anderberg had
no idea what he was going to do
for a living.
“I got married right out of high school
and started driving a truck when I was 18
for a masonry company,” Anderberg says.
“I gave myself about five years, thought I
might move on and find something else.
Five years stretched into 28, and Anderberg was happily still with the company, but a new owner was taking the
company in a different direction. Anderberg soon learned his direction was to
exit left, and suddenly, he found himself
unemployed. But Anderberg now counts
the experience as a blessing in disguise.
“It sort of opened my eyes,” he says.
“You get tunnel vision where you’re at.”
After interviewing with a few companies, Anderberg was contacted by the owners of CISCO Masonry Supplies, who had
known him from his previous position.
“And it just worked out,” Anderbeg
says. “I was very fortunate.”
Six years later, Anderberg Is manager
of 12 employees at CISCO’s Fort Worth location, and is every bit as happy as he
was at his former company.
“I like it,” he says. “I enjoy the people.
I’m here when the guys get here, and I’m
usually here when they leave. I just enjoy
getting up and being around them”
The husband and father of four also
likes telling the 18-year-old truck drivers
just how easy they have it now compared
to when he was behind the wheel.
“These guys have air conditioning!”
Anderberg says. “I didn’t have it that
good.”
Fort Worth-based CISCO Masonry Supply company specializes in supplying products for the commercial masonry trade.
–mjm
Rain is a royal pain, but Adolfo Gonzalez of Monaco’s in Fort Worth
isn’t going to let a little sprinkle stop him from his remodeling work. –mjm
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Page 21
continued from Page 1 — Not-so-heavy metal
me,” Lockett says. “And I don’t know if
that’s good or bad.”
While he loves his office, he is happiest showing off the 40,000-sf shop, because for Lockett, and everyone else at
Wooten Metal, work really is play.
“It’s hard to define what we do,” he
says. “We do manufacturing, custom
metal work. It’s just a unique company.”
“It’s not what you expect when you
think of a metal company,” Amanda
Smith, who was recently hired to oversee marketing, interjects.
Indeed. It’s not every day that one
can see a die-cut silhouette of Mickey
Mouse’s head just a few feet away from a
go-go dancer’s cage, which is just a hop,
skip and a jump from a church altar, a
steel staircase and a massive Miller Lite
sign that will be suspended in the new
Cowboys Stadium’s Miller Lite suite.
“We’re so diversified. There’s so much
going on,” he says. “But we have machinery to do about just everything that we
want to do. The only thing we want to do
that we can’t is cut tempered glass; it just
shatters. But we can cut glass and have it
tempered.”
(Actually, they can’t do birthday cake
icing either. It’s a long story, but rest assured, Dennis Wooten, laser-etching artist and brother of owner Don Wooten,
has certainly tried it.)
Whether creating for companies as
large as Lockheed Martin or for the guy
walking in off the street, Lockett never
fails to be inspired by the ideas his company has brought to life.
“I’ve watched an evolution in the 34
years I’ve been here,” says Lockett. “It’s
exciting coming to work!”
Wooten Metal, located in Dallas, is a
full-service fabrication and manufacturing
facility. –mjm
It’s their specialty
N
early 50 subcontractors
and suppliers from
across the Metroplex
lined up their booths along the
ballroom walls of the DFW Westin Hotel – and more than 500
general contractors and business owners lined up to meet
them! Held Aug. 18, TEXO’s
Specialty Contractor Night gave
both parties an opportunity to
meet and talk a little potential
business. –mjm
TEPCO Contract Glazing
continued from Page 1 — School’s in session
we were supposed to, the job was scheduled to be $3,300,000,” White says. “They
decided they would go with us on a costplus-10-percent basis”.
White admittedly experienced a moment of hesitancy to the new terms. The
project was now estimated to cost $1.8
million more than projected six years
ago, but ultimately, White agreed to build
the project within the parameters of the
new estimated cost. Fortunately, he had
a secret weapon that changed the financial aspect of the project altogether.
“It was kind of like a construction
management job,” White says. “We had a
very good computer program that keeps
track of everything, down to all of the
taxes, insurances, labor, burden – everything. We started the job, and the original
contract price was $2,995,000. But they
had 45 change orders. They decided they
wanted this and that, to air condition the
gym and upgrade all of the cabinetry and
stainless steel countertops in the kitchen,
which ended up being $3,300,000. But,
when we got through, even with our
overhead and profit, we really only spent
$3 million.“
“So,” White says, “we gave them back
$300,000.”
Needless to say, the client was more
than pleased to have more than a quarter
of a million dollars back and jingling in its
pocket.
“They’re quite happy with it,” White
says. “They haven’t put their floor into
the gym yet, but they’re going to take
some of that $300,000 that they saved
and do that.”
White says his company could have
saved the client even more money had
the geotechnical survey of the property
proved accurate.
“Our biggest problem that we had on
the job was that the geotechnicals said
that we had wonderful soil in the three or
four spots tested. But when we got out
there, we had solid rock. So we had to do
a little bit of excavation, pulling boulders
out of the ground and putting about 4ft.
of select fill in and lots of piers.”
White says he enjoys the working relationship Tyson Building Corp. has with
Temple Christian School, and believes the
decision-making process went smoothly
since his project manager, Leonard Patterson, and project superintendent, Jerry Zaskoda, had a single point of contact
at the school who made and communicated all final decisions.
“We dealt with her, and she said, ‘Yes’ or
‘No,’ and that was it,” White says. “We didn’t
have to go through committees or anything
like that, so it went very smoothly.”
Last March, school was finally in session for the 24,000-sf, T-shaped campus,
which was designed by GSBS Architects.
With all of its 24 classrooms facing toward
the street, the campus is designed to accommodate two more wings on the back
of its brick and stone-clad building to allow for future expansion – a fortuitous
situation as the school has already exceeded its anticipated enrollment.
Displayed in Tyson Building Corp.’s
lobby is a framed letter of appreciation
from Dr. Stan Brook, president of Temple
Schools Inc., overflowing with gratitude
for a job well done and for the unexpected return of funds.
“They were very happy,” White says.
“And we are building their next campus
for them.”
Founded in 1959, Fort Worth-based Tyson Building Corporation is a general contractor that specializes in pre-engineered
buildings and design-build services for private clients. –mjm
continued from Page 1 — Happy camper
some roots, so he left the camper in California.
While he and Dawn, who helps with
administrative duties, prepare a Pirtek
corporate store in Plano, the family is
renting a four-bedroom house in Garland. Needless to say, the family is experiencing “space shock.” Moyers said he had
a conversation with Dawn recently while
the boys watched TV upstairs (another
treat!), and he could actually hear her.
“We don’t know what to do with all
of the room,” Moyers says.
He and his wife have discussed possibly selling the RV, but he admits he
would be a little sad to see it go.
“I’m very hesitant to do it; we’re so
accustomed to having it,” he says. “It’s
part of our lives now, even though it’s just
a camper. I may keep it, because if this
store sells quickly, Pirtek may send me
somewhere else, and Dawn and the kids
would need to stay here until they finish
this year of school.”
His wife, however, has no hesitation
about saying happy trails to the camper.
“Dawn’s take is, ‘Do it!’” Moyers says. ”She
wants a boat!”
Pirtek USA is an on-site hydraulic hose
service with franchises throughout the
country. –mjm
L-R: T.J. Bartlett and Josh Crichton, Lindab
Scott-Macon Equipment
L-R: Leroy Hidalgo and Pat Teagarden,
Hidalgo Industrial Services Inc.
Don Burden &
Associates Inc.
George–McKenna
Electrical
Contractors
Page 22 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009
Construction News ON LOCATION
Bean machines
Association Calendar
Content submitted by Associations to Construction News
AIA-Dallas
IEC – Fort Worth
American Institute of Architects
Independent Electrical Contractors
Sep. 22:. Design Awards Jurors’ Reception, Dallas Center for Architecture, 1909
Woodall Rogers, Ste. 100, Dallas, 6-8pm.
$25 members, $50 non-members.
Sep. 23: Design Awards Announcement
Party, AT&T Plaza in Victory ark, American
Airlines Center, 2500 Victory Plaza, Dallas.
$15 members, $30 non-members.
Sep. 28-Oct. 2: Design Awards Winners
Exhibition, Dallas Center for Architecture,
1909 Woodall Rodgers, Ste. 100, Dallas,
9am-5pm.
Sep. 17: Trade Show and Wire-Off Competition, Legends of Baseball Museum,
1000 Ballpark Way, Arlington, 3-7:30pm.
Free.
AIA-Fort Worth
L-R: Jose Marquez, Cody Turner, Cody Stafford, Mark Cole and Jason Hess
with Bean Electrical Inc. in Fort Worth are wired to work! –mjm
Construction News ON LOCATION
New name, new hat
NAWIC – Fort Worth
Sep. 10: Sporting Clay Classic, Acme Brick
Shooting Range, Brock, TX.
Sep. 18: “North Texas Alternative Futures: Making Choices That Are Better
Than Business As Usual,” Sheraton Grand
Hotel, DFW Airport, 4440 W. Carpenter
Frwy, Irving, 7:30am – 1:30pm. Free to
participate in dialogue sessions, luncheon is $40.
Nat’l Assn. of Women in Construction
CSI – Dallas
Sep. 10: Chapter meeting and presentation, “I’m a Mac, I’m a PC,” Crowne Plaza
Hotel, Addison, 5:30-8pm. Presenters:
Gary Whitaker and Casey Robb.
HCA – DFW
Hispanic Contractors Association
Sep. 2: Lien and Bond Claims Seminar,
HCADFW, 2210 West Illinois Avenue, Dallas, 8am-12pm. Open to the first 25 registrants. Cost is $50.
Sep. 21: Construction Scholars Golf Classic, Lantana Golf Club, 800 Golf Cub Drive,
Lantana, 7:30am check-in, 9am shotgun
start. Several sponsorship levels available. Visit www.hcadfw.org for more information.
IEC – Dallas
Extra Papers?
Visit our Website at:
www.constructionnews.net
Sep. 14: Board meeting, Bell Nunnally &
Martin, 3232 McKinney Avenue, Suite
1400, Dallas, 6-8pm.
Sep. 21: Membership meeting, MCM Elegante Hotel, 2320 W. Northwest Hwy.,
Dallas, 5:30-7:30pm.
American Institute of Architects
Construction Specifications Institute
L-R: Lead man Matt Baxter and groundsman Kyle Singleton say to disregard
the “Flowers Construction” logo on the truck. The name of the new company is
Infrastrux T&D Services, and Singleton has the hat to prove it! –mjm
NAWIC – Dallas
Nat’l Assn. of Women in Construction
Independent Electrical Contractors
Sep. 9: General membership luncheon,
IEC office, 1931 Hereford Dr., Irving,
11:30am-1pm. Free to members.
Sep. 17: Trade Show and Wire-Off Competition, Legends of Baseball Museum,
1000 Ballpark Way, Arlington, 3-7:30pm.
Free.
Sep. 10: Business dinner, board installation. Colonial Country Club, Fort Worth,
5:30 pm. $35
NTRCA
North Texas Roofing Contractors Assn.
Sep. 23: Annual Clay Shoot, Dallas Gun
Club, 3601 S Stemmons Frwy, Lewisville.
8:30am-12pm. Barbecue lunch included.
Various sponsorship levels available. Visit
www. ntrca.com for event information.
TEXO
The Contractors Association
Sep. 17: Construction Quality Management (CQM) Course for Contractors, TEXO
Conference Center, 11111 N. Stemmons
Freeway, Dallas, 7:30am-4:30pm. $299
Contractor/Industry member, $349 subscriber member and $399 non-member.
USGBC
U.S. Green Building Council
Sep. 17: Green Operations Summit, Dallas Convention Center, 1209 South Main,
Grapevine, 8am-4:45pm. $25 member,
$35 non-member, $20 full-time student
with ID, $15 summit only and $20 luncheon only.
Sep. 18: USGBC National Workshop –
“Green Building Operations & Maintenance: The LEED Implementation Process,” Grapevine Convention Center, 1209
South Main Street, Grapevine, 8am-1pm.
Early registration is $345 national member/$445 non-member. Late registration
is $375 national member/ and $495 nonmember.
Select “Rack Locations”
for a complete list of all rack locations
where newspapers can be picked up.
We do not mail additional newspapers.
If you would like a
personal subscription
($35/year)
select “Subscribe.”
Construction News ON LOCATION
Truss-worthy
Fabricator Sammy Burkett welds trusses at B.H. Fabrication in Fort Worth,
just as he has for nearly 10 years. –mjm
Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Page 23
Job Sights
Wide open house
The MJ Air Products Inc. staff
“W
Crane operator Todd Mozena, Top Flight Steel Inc., does his part to help complete the
204,000-sf Cigna Regional Headquarters, the centerpiece of the 41-acre Cigna Pointe
development in Plano, by the August deadline. General contractor for the tilt-wall and steel
construction is Key Construction Inc. Ross Loughmiller is the project’s superintendent. –mjm
e decided to have
a bigger event this
year,” Joel Finney
says of the open house MJ Air
Products Inc., the company she
co-owns with Matt Daily, annually hosts.
And a bigger event needs a
bigger venue. Fortunately, it just
so happened that MJ Air Products Inc. had peddled a great
deal of product to the builders
of the new Cowboys Stadium,
which just so happened to be
available for the affair.
More than 900 manufacL-R: Brian King, Brad Bauer and Ronald Linker, All-Lite
turers, mechanical engineers
Architectural Products, prefer the corner booth.
and contractors RSVP’d to attend the MJ Air Products 2009 Open a shot at guessing which locker was Tony
House on Aug. 6. The event included a Romo’s. –mjm
tour of the stadium, vendor booths – and
The ground may be soggy after more than 3 in. of rain the day before, but that doesn’t faze
Jay Reyes Ybarra. He’s ready to get moving on the new 60,000-sf John Deere sales and
service center in McKinney. Ybarra is a quality control employee at Bob Moore Construction,
which also serves as general contractor. Project superintendent is Steven Barrons. –mjm
L-R: Aire Dynamics’ John “Fryedaddy” Frye and Tim Selly contemplate playing the field.
 Location

Location
 Location
 Location
Publishing the Industry’s News . . .
L-R: HVAC technician Josh Richard, United Mechanical Service Inc. and crane operator
Dan Gill, Davis Crane, discuss the logistics of just how they’re going to position the airconditioning units on the roof of Hurst’s Texas Department of Public Safety. DPS’s David
Ghent serves as project manager. –mjm
Pouring his sweat into the new Pour House bar in Fort Worth is exactly what Raul Beltran of
Hayden Construction Inc., the project’s general contractor, intends to do with his 101-degree
day. Superintendent for the project is Jose Hernandez. –mjm
TEXAS Style
Dallas/Fort. Worth
Austin
San Antonio
Houston
Home Office
(210) 308-5800
www.constructionnews.net
Page 24 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Sep 2009