houston construction news january 2016

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Linbeck Group LLC has completed the Houston Methodist Cypress Emergency Care Center project on

the Northwest corner of Highway 290 and Fairfield Creek Drive. Houston Meth-odist Willowbrook Hospital is the owner. Project manager Craig Fredrickson, Linbeck, says the newly constructed, freestanding, 9,600sf full-service emergency care facility has 10 exam rooms, triage and associated support spaces. Significant offerings include digital radiology with low radiation doses, ultra-sounds, lab and pharmaceutical companies on site. “The Emergency Care Center follows a prototype design, which ensures consistency while reducing development and construction time,” Fredrickson said. “In terms of community impact, the stand-alone emergency care center model offers a full range of emergency services

to the local community for treatment and transfer to Houston Methodist Hospital campuses with full hospital access.” According to Fredrickson, the “Hous-ton Methodist” brand design features in-clude a gabled entry atrium and warm, inviting materials. Patients can now rely on safe, quality, emergency care close to home thanks to free, convenient parking and an easily accessible front entrance. The primary construction materials used for the interior included stone floor entry, seamless vinyl, carpet and VCT, plam millwork, drywall with lead lined drywall for radiology, multiple fixture types (chandelier to 2x4 fixtures), combi-nation of ceilings drywall and laying 2X2 tiles. The primary construction materials used for the exterior included masonry with glass curtainwall front entry.

The Houston Methodist Cypress Emergency Care Center gabled entry atrium

Houston

Happy New Year

Owner Rick Ingram, Ingram Plumbing, learned the plumbing trade from his father, Richard,

and is now teaching all he knows to his sons, John, Ricky and Kevin. “My father opened the company in 1952,” Ingram said. “I still have a copy of his first plumbing license framed on the wall in my office. I also have invoices he wrote back in the ‘50s. “We have provided plumbing work for customers for three generations. We are very blessed!” Ingram says Ingram Plumbing is a faith-based company. Ingram and em-ployees pray at the office in the morn-ings before they head out in the field.

“We strive to show up on time for ev-ery residential and commercial job.” In-gram said. “I think the keys to success in the plumbing business are caring about all clients and their satisfaction and hav-ing well trained, experienced and quali-fied technicians.” According to Ingram, the company is currently bidding on several jobs in the area and has recently completed a com-mercial job in Houston. In December, employees had a great time at the local parade and Christmas celebration called Holiday in the Park held in League City.

The Ingram Plumbing crew at the Webster location

Dickinson-based Shelmark Engi-neering LLC entered the market-place in 2000 and has grown to

one of the largest engineering firms in Galveston County. Founding principal and president Marcus Michna, PE, handles the compa-ny's business operations as well as serves as principle engineer for larger civil/structural projects. His wife Shelly, co-founder and vice president, takes care of duties such as hu-man resources, accounts payable and payroll. “After careful deliberation and plan-ning, Shelly and I started the business on a card table in our dining room,” Michna

said. “Next, we moved the company to a storage unit and then to a small building in League City and a larger office in Texas City.” The firm has operated at its current Dickinson location for three years. “To stay in business 15 years, I think it takes lots of luck,” Michna said. “You have to have contacts and work with good people.” The company has increased its work-load in Galveston County this year. Mich-na says he has seen the commercial mar-ket grow in the area in 2015. Each year, Shelmark Engineering has

The Shelmark Engineering staff gathers at the Dickinson office.

Houston Construction News • Jan 2016


If you are a construction-related company in Harris, Galveston, Fort Bend or Montgomery

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Houston Editor — Abby BeMent — [email protected] — 832-595-0091

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

Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Buddy DoebblerEditorial/Production . . . . . . . Reesa Doebbler Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cyndi WrightAdmin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lacie CortezProduction Manager. . . . . . . . . . Sue JohnsonMarketing Director . . . . . . Leslye HernandezSales Representative. . . . . . . . . Kent Gerstner

TDIndustries Houston office em-ployees gathered at a Christmas party at Sam Houston Race Park

Dec. 4. Attendees enjoyed mingling with friends, having dinner and they also played casino games. Founded in Dallas in 1946, TDIndus-tries opened the Houston office in 1980.

Merrily merrily

Graham Moore is the president, Nikki Morgan is the senior vice presi-dent, Ronell Peters is senior vice presi-dent, Houston special projects and Ran-dee Herrin is senior vice president, new construction. TDIndustries is a mechanical construc-tion and facility service company. –ab

TDIndustries employees catch up with friends.

Folks line up at the dinner buffet at the Sam Houston Race Park.

Common groundSubmitted to Construction News

A ground breaking ceremony for the Harris County/City of Houston Joint Processing Center took place in late October. PGAL is the project architect and Clark Construction

Group-Texas LP is the construction manager. –ab

A topping out ceremony recently took place at Applied Optoelectronics Inc. expansion project in Sugar Land. Yong Architects Inc. is the project architect and general contractors Skanska and B. Bell Builders Inc. are the construction team. –ab

Moving aheadSubmitted to Construction News

CorrectionIn the December issue Great Outdoor section “Reeling

it in” fishing photo, the company Gregory Cokinos works for was incorrect. He actually works for

Cokinos Bosien and Young. –ab

Shoveling dirtSubmitted to Construction News

Ziegler Cooper Architects, Arch-Con Construction and Brown & Gay Engineersgathered at the Grand Corners II project groundbreaking ceremony in December. –ab

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Brandi MatthewsOwner

Alvin Glass & Mirrors


Brandi Matthews remembers spend-ing lots of time at Alvin Glass & Mir-rors during her childhood.

Her father Charles Brinkerhoff pur-chased the company in 1984. The origi-nal owners established the Alvin-based company in 1958. “I started out helping my dad cut glass,” she said. “I played around the shop after school when I was a girl. I helped my mom and dad take custom-er’s orders. “I also answered the phones while my mom took a short break during the day. I learned so much about the glass business at a young age.” Matthews says her grandmother, Elizabeth and her brother, Antonio, also learned the business in a short amount of time. “We had a great year in 2015,” she said. “We did better this year than previous years. “The economy is showing some im-provement and that is always a good thing. We are looking forward to 2016.” Alvin Glass & Mirrors specializes in residential and commercial glass repair and installation.

What was it like growing up in Alvin, Brandi? Alvin was a great place to grow up. It was great to be a kid and play outside ev-ery day. I liked growing up in a small town.

Where did you go to school? I attended and graduated from Alvin High School. After high school I contin-ued to work at Alvin Glass & Mirrors.

What did you do next? I took a little break but I continued to work at the company part time. I did of-fice work for a company in Alvin. The experience gave me insight on how to handle different situations and different ways to do business. When my father passed away, my brother Antonio and I took over the com-pany.

What does a typical day look like for you these days? Every day, every phone call and ev-ery project is different. Sometimes the phone will ring off the hook and some-times things are quiet around the shop. No day is ever the same.

Do you ever go to jobsites? I have spent time at jobsites before, especially if the crew needs extra help that day. Over the years, I have helped install windows, glass and shower doors. I think gaining experience in the field helps me today especially when custom-ers have questions about a project. Working in the field gave me a differ-ent outlook on things.

What important lessons did your dad teach you that you continue to carry on today? My dad taught me to never pay for anything in credit. Always pay cash. He always said if you don’t have cash, you don’t need it and don’t buy it. This lesson has been helpful to me running the business but also in my per-sonal life.

How have you seen your industry change over the years? Technology has definitely improved since I was a teenager. Nowadays folks in the glass industry use computers for everything. We still like to do things the old fashioned way. We still write everything down on paper. We don’t rely on computers, un-less we absolutely have to.

Are you married? Yes, I got married to Otis Matthews in March. My mom introduced me to Otis and I am so glad she did! I have a son named Michael, 18. Like me, Michael’s first job was working here at Alvin Glass & Mirror.

Will Michael continue to work at the company in the future? If that is what he chooses to do. I

have never pressured him to make a deci-sion. I have always told him if this is what he wants to do then to go for it. If not, I won’t be hurt by it. If he wants to pursue something else, that that is okay, too. Michael graduated high school so now he helps out at the company in the afternoons. Michael enjoys skate boarding in his free time. This is scary for me since it is a dangerous sport.

What is the best part about working at Alvin Glass & Mirror? I really enjoy working with my family. It is challenging at times, but at the end of the day I wouldn’t trade it for any-thing. I love what I do today. My grandma used to cut glass in the shop but now she handles more office work. She comes and goes as she pleases. My brother Antonio is the lead installer.

What advice would you give a young person interested in working in the glass business? My advice is to know what you are doing. You have to learn how to cut and measure glass. Gain lots of experience in the field.

What are the keys to success in your industry? Stand behind your word. The cus-tomer may not always be right, so you have to learn how to dissipate situations. Know how to interact with custom-ers. Always get your name out there. Word of mouth advertising is something we pride ourselves on. It is not something we take lightly. Why do you enjoy working in Alvin? Everybody knows everybody in Al-vin. No matter where I am at in the world, no matter where I move or go, this will always feel like home to me.

Have you traveled outside of Texas? Yes, when I was younger I traveled to Louisiana. On occasion, my family and I will take road trips to San Antonio, Austin or Dal-las.

My husband helps operate asphalt plants. There are four plants in the Hill Country. Sometimes when he has work to do, I will go with him and we will stay an extra day to do something fun in the Hill Country.

Where is a place you would love to vis-it one day? I would love to visit Panama City in the future. My dad was born in Mexico City and lived most of his life in Panama City. I think it would be awesome to see where he spent time as a young man in Panama City. He always talked about the beautiful landscape, beaches and the food fun. Panama City probably doesn’t look like anything it did back in the ‘70s, but I think it would be nice to explore for a few days. What are a few of your favorite hob-bies when you aren’t at work? I have always wanted to try glass crafting such as making stained glass windows. A few of our guys here at the shop make glass shadow boxes. I made my husband a glass shadow box for his Dal-las Cowboys helmet.

Do you ever go to Galveston on the weekend? Yes, Galveston is only about 30 min-utes away, so my family and I like to go whenever possible. We have been to Schlitterbahn in the summertime and recently saw the Festi-val of Lights at Moody Gardens. It is nice the island is convenient for us to drive to on the weekend.

Do you like to go fishing? Yes, my husband and I like to go fish-ing in La Porte and Galveston every chance we get.

What are your future plans for Alvin Glass & Mirror? We have operated at our current lo-cation in Alvin since 1984. We aren’t go-ing anywhere any time soon! There is a lot of competition in the area that comes and goes. We always stay. –ab

Brandi Matthews cuts glass in the shop.

Brandi enjoys working with her brother and main installer, Antonio.

www.constructionnews.net TexasStyle

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San Antonio Austin Dallas/Fort Worth Houston South Texas


Making progressSubmitted to Construction News

Dyad Constructors LP representatives attended a groundbreaking ceremony for Park Eight 90 buildings 1, 2 and 3 for developer Trammell Crow Companies in November. –ab

Roofing itConstruction News ON LOCATION

L-R: Danny, Bea and Steven, Roofing Supply Group, make things happen at the Webster location. –ab

Pedal to the metalConstruction News ON LOCATION

Store manager Jake Bishop gets organized for the week ahead at Metal Mart in Alvin. The company provides steel roofing, trim, flashing, steel building components,

structural steel and fasteners. –ab

Filling stockingsSubmitted to Construction News

That’s a wrapSubmitted to Construction News

In December, Kirksey Architecture employees found and wrapped gifts for the Adopt an Angel program, ensuring more than 65 children had gifts to open this holiday season. –ab

Going the distanceSubmitted to Construction News

CDA Architects held a Christmas party at Topgolf Spring. The company incorporated in 1995 and has been in business since 1974. Ray Duerer, AIA, LEED AP, is the president. –ab

McCarthy Houston team members came together in December to help make a difference for children by donating toys to Operation Stocking

Stuffer, a toy drive for local underprivileged children. –ab

Spirit of ChristmasSubmitted to Construction News

The Baker Triangle Houston office got into the holiday spirit in early December. –ab


PBK Houston team members served Thanksgiving Dinner at Bo's Place in late November. Bo’s Place is a non-profit organization offering grief support services for children and

their families who have experienced the death of a parent or sibling. –ab

Home cookin’Submitted to Construction News

Business is a game! Play to win!Part 1 of a 3 part seriesCarrie D. Bradshaw, C.P.A.Brown, Graham & Company P.C.Georgetown, TX

Know your scoreBusiness is a game and your financial statements are

your scoreboard. Do you know your score? Are you winning or losing the game? In order to answer this question, you must first understand the financial

management of your company and the story your financial statements tell about your company. Consider your monthly balance sheet as the score at the end of a period; a quarterly balance is your score at the end of the game; and an annual balance is your score at the end of the season. You can make adjustments to the game plan during the quarter if you are paying attention during the game. When you get to the end of the game you will see if your strategic adjustments worked to win the game. If it worked, maintain that strategy for the next game. If it did not work, the strategy needs to be adjusted for the next game to have a winning season.

In a nutshell, your balance sheet is composed of assets, liabilities and equity. Assets are what you own. Liabilities are what you owe. Net worth is what is left over.

Ratio analysis – understanding your scoreboard Financial managers use a methodology referred to as ratio analysis to understand the scoreboard. You are probably familiar with some of these ratios as you have been in conversation with your bonding agent or banker. When you evaluate your ratios related to your balance sheet, consider the following:Current working capital: This ratio measures your solvency - the number of dollars in current assets for every $1 in current liabilities. In other words, can you pay your bills today? Debt-to-worth: This ratio measures your financial risk - the number of dollars of debt owed for every dollar of net worth. In other words, does the bank own more of your company than you do? Accounts receivable turnover: Measures the rate at which accounts receivable are collected on an annual basis. How many days from the time an invoice is generated until it becomes a deposit in the bank? Accounts payable turnover: Measures the rate at which accounts payable are paid on an annual basis. How many days from the time an invoice is received until the bill is paid? Something to consider: Should you be paying accounts payable at a slower rate than you collect accounts receivable to conserve cash? Maybe. That question will be addressed in part 3 of this series.

Industry benchmarking Now that you understand your score, how do you measure up against the competition? There are many sources for obtaining industry benchmarks: industry associations, Risk Management

Association (RMA), Construction Financial Managers Association’s annual survey, and many others. Compare the ratios you calculated on your balance sheet to your peers and see how you measure up. Are you consistent with your peers? A word of caution in using industry benchmarking: You cannot be sure the comparison is “apples to apples”. There is no standardization of information submitted to the groups gathering this information. You also do not know the level of success of the companies submitting this information. We recommend finding industry publications that publish “Best in Class” benchmarks as well. The purpose of benchmarking is to identify potential targets at which to aim.

Internal financial trends Another important aspect of understanding your score is monitoring your internal performance over time. Is your business seasonal? How does that seasonality impact your score (and more importantly your cash!)? Perform your ratio analysis on a monthly, quarterly and annual basis to help you identify trends within your company. Part 2: Know your costs We will discuss a break-even analysis tool.Part 3: Know your cash flow model Is every dollar of revenue created the same? By beginning to implement a disciplined system of monitoring your score, you can develop the strategy to coach your team to greater success! Carrie D. Bradshaw, CPA and CCIFP with over 20 years of construction contractor coaching experience, is the Managing Shareholder of the Brown, Graham & Company, P.C.’s Georgetown office. You can contact Carrie at [email protected] or call 512-930-4090.

General contractor Mission Constructors LP is building a new 30,000-sf Crime Stoppers Headquarters in Midtown. A groundbreaking ceremony took place Oct. 30.

Merriman Holt Powell Architects is the architect. –ab

Starting mission Submitted to Construction News

Product Recall Insurance should be part of your Product Risk Management PlanJulie Davis, CICIBTXSan Antonio, TX

There may be no word that strikes greater fear in the hearts of individuals in the manufacturing/processing industry than “recall.” Mere consideration of the term may mean that someone has been made ill or possibly

died from consumption of or exposure to a product. The response must be inordinately fast and include coordination with federal government agencies, and state governmental agencies, as well as other companies who sit both upstream and downstream of your position in the distribution chain of the product at issue. The aftermath can leave injured consumers and damaged reputations. The monetary costs may include lost profits, recall expenses, civil damages and potential criminal action. Despite excellent quality control, you may find yourself swept into a recall. Advance planning for recalls can make the difference in the survival of your company.

While a written recall plan has long been a regulatory requirement, planning for a recall should include much more than a template form in a file. Recall planning should include record-keeping steps to be taken well in advance of any concerns, but which will make any recall effort more effective. A team of advisors who will serve in various roles in the planning, execution and post-recall process is also a necessity. It should also include Product Recall insurance coverage.Cost of Recall The next step to consider after internal procedures are consistently implemented is how much will this cost the company? Loss of sales, not only the company’s lost profit, but that of your customers should be considered. Also consider the damage to the company’s reputation and possible effect on future sales, the added expense for disposal, replacement product, time and mental anguish by management and employees; these are all part of the cost. Many companies look at funding this possible exposure with an insurance policy, but in today’s market, most Commercial General Liability (CGL) policies will not cover a loss in a Product Recall scenario. Do not mistake Product Liability coverage for Product Recall coverage, they are not the same. Some insurance carriers may offer a sub-limit to cover the expense of removal and disposal of the product as part of the CGL, but these amounts may only cover a fraction of total cost. Product Recall/Contamination Insurance There are insurance carriers that have policies that pertain specifically to the issue of product recall, contamination and/or tampering. These stand-alone policies may also include crisis management consultants. Product Recall/Contamination policies are not standardized policies, so one insurance company’s coverage may look drastically

different than another. Coverage details The following are key issues of the policy, and policies may differ on the definitions. Each policy must be carefully read and understood by policyholders to insure they are purchasing what they need.

• Loss of sales revenues• Customer loss of gross profits• Government recall• Voluntary recall• Adverse publicity• Rehabilitation expenses• Extra expense• Defense costs• 3rd Party coverage• “Pay on behalf” or reimburse

language Depending on who you speak with, the chance of having a serious product recall occurrence is not a matter of if, but when. Serious consideration of a proper game plan in the event could be crucial for the company’s survival. Is this a cost that the company can absorb or is it more cost effective to purchase an insurance policy for the risk? Recently, many large distributors and retail corporations are requiring Product Recall/Contamination coverage in their contracts. In any event, as part of your company’s recall procedure, add an insurance policy review by a competent insurance professional and review all contracts with suppliers and clients regarding the insurance expectations. Julie Davis, CIC has worked with the food processing industry for over 15 years, coordinating risk management plans and insurance policies to reflect the food industries’ changes to new exposure and heightened responsibility. IBTX understands your potential risk exposure and stands ready to help you make informed decision about how to protect your customers, your supply chain, and your bottom line. Contact us at 800-880-6689 or visit us at www.ib-tx.com for more information or to setup your policy today.


Electrical Lock Out and Tag OutJoann NatarajanCompliance Assistance SpecialistOSHAAustin, TX

Energy sources including electrical, mechanical, hy-draulic, pneumatic, chemical, thermal, or other

sources in machines and equipment can be hazardous to workers. During the servicing and maintenance of

machines and equipment, the unexpected startup or release of stored energy can re-sult in serious injury or death to workers.

Failure to control hazardous energy accounts for nearly 10 percent of the seri-ous accidents in many industries. Proper lockout/tagout (LOTO) practices and procedures safeguard workers from haz-ardous energy releases. The OSHA stan-dard for The Control of Hazardous Ener-gy (Lockout/Tagout) (29 CFR 1910.147) for general industry outlines measures for controlling different types of hazard-ous energy. The LOTO standard estab-lishes the employer’s responsibility to protect workers from hazardous energy. Employers are also required to train each worker to ensure that they know, under-stand, and are able to follow the appli-cable provisions of the hazardous energy control procedures:

Proper lockout/tagout (LOTO) prac-tices and procedures safeguard workers from the release of hazardous energy. The OSHA standard for The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) (29 CFR 1910.147) for general industry, out-lines specific action and procedures for addressing and controlling hazardous energy during servicing and mainte-nance of machines and equipment. Em-ployers are also required to train each worker to ensure that they know, under-stand, and are able to follow the appli-cable provisions of the hazardous energy control procedures. Workers must be trained in the purpose and function of the energy control program and have the knowledge and skills required for the safe application, usage and removal of the energy control devices.

All employees who work in an area where energy control procedure(s) are utilized need to be instructed in the pur-pose and use of the energy control procedure(s), especially prohibition against attempting to restart or reener-gize machines or other equipment that are locked or tagged out.

● All employees who are authorized to lockout machines or equipment and per-form the service and maintenance opera-tions need to be trained in recognition of applicable hazardous energy sources in the workplace, the type and magnitude of energy found in the workplace, and the means and methods of isolating and/or controlling the energy.

Specific procedures and limitations relating to tagout systems where they are allowed.

Retraining of all employees to main-tain proficiency or introduce new or changed control methods.

The control of hazardous energy is also addressed in a number of other OSHA standards, including Safety and Health Regulations for Construction; Electrical (1926 Subpart K), Concrete and Masonry Construction (1926 Subpart Q), Electric Power Transmission and Distribu-tion (1926 Subpart V), and General Indus-try; Electrical (1910 Subpart S), Special Industries (1910 Subpart R), and Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Dis-tribution (1910.269).

[email protected] x232

Texas Mechanic’s andMaterialman’s Liens onprivate projects in TexasJanet Townsley, Senior AssociateThe Cromeens Law FirmDallas, TX

Credit is the lifeblood of the construction industry. By the nature of a construction contract, the contractor

extends credit to the owner to the extent the contractor performs labor or services and supplies materials before being paid. When construction funds are withheld, the impact is felt throughout the construction chain. On even a small project, a payment default by an owner can have disastrous consequences for dozens of contractors, subcontractors and suppliers (and their employees). Just as most lenders will not loan money without adequate security for payment, contractors, subcontractors and suppliers need security when they extend credit on a construction project. Such security is the right to secure and enforce a lien on real property for the value of work performed. Mechanic’s and Materialman’s Liens (M & M Liens), when executed properly, elevate a subcontractor or material supplier from an unsecured creditor to a secured creditor. 1

Because the M&M lien operates like an involuntary mortgage on the, Texas law requires specific steps to create a valid lien. One misstep in complying with strict notice deadlines or omission of a sentence required in the notice letter, invalidates the M & M Lien. Anyone who provides labor or supplies materials for the construction, repair of a house, building or improvement is entitled to an M& M lien. After recent changes in Texas law, architects, engineers, surveyors, landscapers, demolition trades that provide temporary workers may have an M&M lien when not paid.

The Homestead Pitfall One of the great things about Texas is the protection of homesteads found in Article 16, §50 of our Texas Constitution. This means you cannot have a lien against a property unless there is a construction contract signed and notarized by the homeowner(s) and filed in the real property records prior to any work. Typically, this means you cannot file a lien for a small repair. This is because it is unlikely a contract has been filed of record unless you filed one. But, if you’re doing a large repair or remodel, it would be worth the investment to hire an attorney to draft and file the contract to ensure you will be protected! A homestead is regarded as a residence owned by an individual that is being OCCUPIED by that individual. A person and spouse may have only one homestead. Hence, an owner building a residence while currently living in a homestead, cannot call the new residence a homestead. However, if the individual does not currently have a homestead and is building a new residence intended as a homestead, the new residence is considered a homestead

although the individual does not live in it.2

Notice, Notice, Notice M&M liens are an involuntary lien against someone’s property and although you may not have a contract with the owner, you may have the right to lien the owner’s property. To perfect a lien, certain notices must be sent prior to filing the lien. This gives the owner and general contractor a chance to resolve your claim prior to filing the lien. All notices must be sent Certified Mail Return Receipt Requested to comply with statutory notice timelines. These timelines are strictly enforced and missing a timeline date even by one day, invalidates the lien. Therefore, do not let anyone stall or push you past outside your deadlines. The notice timelines differ between a commercial and residential project, and on whether you have a contract with the General Contractor. Thus, it is good practice to calendar a deadline for sending notice of unpaid invoices for the 15th day of the second month after the labor was performed or materials supplied, as in many instances, this is the first deadline you will have to meet. An attorney should be consulted to address deadline and notice requirements in specific instances. Janet Townsley is a Senior Associate at The Cromeens Law Firm. For more information on our services, please visit www.thecromeenslawfirm.com or call (713) 715-7334.

1Public property is not subject to lien, and is beyond the scope of this article.2A spec home is one owned and being built by a company. It is not a homestead and is considered commercial con-construction.

Field tripSubmitted to Construction News

Satterfield & Pontikes Construction hosted students from the Texas A&M Department of Construction Science at the Houston office in December. Students had a question and answer session with president and CEO George A. Pontikes and toured the new Cypress

Park High School project. –ab

On the moveConstruction News ON LOCATION

Sergio Macias, EMCO Air Conditioning & Heating Inc., stops by the office before he heads to a commercial HVAC installation job in South Houston. –ab

Growing together


Grand plansConstruction News ON LOCATION

L-R: Chris Granados, Cody Worthen, James Boyd, Tracey Chauvinand Matt Born, 84 Lumber, look forward to 2016. –ab

Electric avenueConstruction News ON LOCATION

Store manager Craig Smith helps electrical contractors find the right suppliesat City Electric Supply in Pasadena. –ab

Submitted to Construction News

Deck the halls

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Houston Chapter members enjoyednetworking, food and fun at a Christmas party held at Nouveau Art Bar Dec. 8. –ab

Local mechanical contractors gath-ered at the Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) of Houston

Christmas party at the Houston Engineer-ing & Scientific Society Dec. 16. MCA presented a donation to The Nehemiah Center “Christmas Angels” program. The program provides families with the amenities typical of a normal Christmas, while keeping in mind the pressing needs of the families. MCA also announced its officers and board of directors for 2016. –ab

Officers: President: Ronald Dauzat, CFI Mechanical Inc. Vice President: James N. Letsos, III, The Letsos Co.Treasurer: Douglas Gregory, Gregory-Ed-wards Inc.

Directors:Paul Alexander, Straus Systems Inc.; James R. “Jimmy” Graves, Graco Mechani-cal Inc.; Rusty Minchew, The MLN Co. and Brent Watts, Dynamic Systems Inc.

As with gladness

Glenn Rex (right) presents the MCA members contributions to Tonia Labbe,

The Nehemial Center.

L-R: Doug Gregory, Gregory-Edwards Inc.; June Johnstom, Travis Brothers Building Automation; Ronald Dauzat, CFI Mechanical, Tonia Labbe, Nehemiah Center; James N. Letsos,

III, The Letsos Co. and Cynthia Birdwell, Andrews Myers LLC and Glenn Rex, MCA

The Women Contractors Association (WCA) inducted the 2016 Board of Directors in November. –ab

President: Natalie Tobias, Jimerson Un-derground Inc.Immediate Past President: Heather Kelly, Dominion Air & HeatTreasurer: Sherri R. Scheffer, CPA, CGMA, Sandersen Knox & Co. LLPSecretary: Donna Murillo, The Murillo Co.

New Year, new leadersDirectors: Sandra Janak, Aspire Sales & Electrical Services; Carol Keough, Barita & Keough Law Firm; Dana Parker, Copy Source 1; Becky Khan, Highpoint Insur-ance Group; Sadie Rucker, Horizon Inter-national Group; Lenora Sorola-Pohlman, Navarro Insurance Group; Cheryl Toler, Travelers Bond; Stacey Williams; Helen Hodges, Separation Systems Consultants Inc. and Frankie Snead, Snead Site Inc.

Rusty Stafford started Stafford Servic-es as a one-man operation in 1969. As the business grew, he hired a crew to help him with new installations, ser-vice and repair work. In 1979, Rusty met his wife Mary and she became his office manager. Today, their sons Dusty and Colby help out at the family business. “I remember the early days were slow so we did a lot of non-air condition-ing and heating related jobs just to pay the bills,” Rusty Stafford said. “This year will be the best year we have ever had. Our two sons are taking more and more responsibility for the company and are determined to keep growing our cus-tomer base.” When asked about the keys to suc-cess, Stafford says you have to be honest, prompt and flexible. “You have to be willing to work 24/7

year round,” he said. “We are just a mom and pop, two sons and an install crew, so for us spending time at our ranch in Nava-sota during the slow season is our way of celebrating going through another sum-mer of long hours and lots of stress.” On the side, the Stafford family en-joys fishing, hunting, golf and generally just spending time outdoors doing any-thing or nothing at all. “Our future goals are to keep striving to maintain Ruud Top Contractor status and to see the continuation of the next generation of our customers as we have in the past,” Stafford said. “We enjoy working in the air conditioning and heat-ing industry. Solving problems (especially the head scratching ones) and customer relationships are extremely rewarding.” Stafford Services is a full-service heat-ing and air conditioning company. –ab

L-R: Rusty, Dusty, Mary and Colby Stafford


New changes fora New Yearby Capt. Steve Schultz

Sponsored by:Waypoint Marine, Majek Boats, E-Z Bel

Construction, Power Pole Shallow Water Anchor, Aggregate Haulers, ForEverlast

Hunting and Fishing Products andColumbia Sportswear.

Well I can’t tell you how excited I am to announce the changes that are in store for the 2016

season for Steve Schultz Outdoors. For those of you that have fished with me in the past five years, you already know that the Majek Xtreme is the boat that got us to and from our fishing spots in comfort and style. I consider the 25-ft. Xtreme the best hull on the water for the everyday guide and recreational angler.

One change that most people will notice immediately will be the new Evinrude E-TEC G2 300hp outboard on the back of my 2016 Majek. Evinrude has stepped up their game recently on the introduction of the E-TEC G2 and I have spoken with several guides that have run the out-

board, and they are extremely happy with the performance, fuel efficiency and speed not to mention the savings of maintenance. Here is a statement from Evinrude: “The new Evinrude E-TEC G2 isn’t just built to last. It’s built to outlast. Run it right out of the box for 500 hours with no dealer scheduled maintenance. Less time in the shop means lower own-ership cost, less hassle and much, much

David Wyatt shows off his 26-inch redfish caught on live shrimp undera popping cork with Steve Schultz Outdoors.

more value over the lifetime of your en-gine.”

Along with the change of the new Evin-rude E-TEC G2 will be the new relation-ship I look forward to being a part of with

the staff at Waypoint Marine in Corpus Christi. I’ve known owners Jim and Jared Poole for many years now. I also know many of the pro-staff and guides that they have established relationships with them throughout the years, and really look forward to a long working relation-ship with them and the entire staff at Waypoint Marine. They are a full service marine dealership that services all of the major brand outboards and have an array of new and used boats to choose from. Stop by and see them at 3033 S.P.I.D. in Corpus for all your marine needs.

For the past several weeks I have been in a hunting mode, traveling all over South and West Texas hunting and guiding white tail and mule deer hunts. I must say it’s been a good break from the salt life I live on the water. There is something about the South Texas brush country, the mountains in West Texas and the serenity of the Laguna Madre that make my job so enjoyable. I can’t think of anything else that I would enjoy doing.

Fishing remains good in the Laguna Madre/Baffin Bay complex. Both trout and redfish are still being caught on live shrimp and lures along the King Ranch shoreline and rocks of Baffin Bay. Best bet this time of year is still wade fishing with artificial lures.

I have already started to fill the calendar for the upcoming 2016 season. Don’t wait until all the good dates are gone! To schedule your next bay fishing trip give Capt. Steve Schultz a call at 361-813-3716 or 361-334-3105 or e-mail him at [email protected]. Good luck and Good Fishing.

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

FISHING AND HUNTING TRIPS

STEVE SCHULTZ OUTDOORS, LLC

(361) 813-3716

www.baffi [email protected]

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

Art of fishingSubmitted to Construction News

David Chapman, AC Plumbing Supply,says the bass were biting on

Lake Sam Rayburn. –ab

Fishing with familySubmitted to Construction News

The Randerman boys of Morrison Supply caught a nice stringer at Hackberry in

Louisiana. –ab

Half or Full Day Fishing Trips

All Bait, Tackle & EquipmentFurnished

Your catch Filleted andBagged for You

Furnish your TPWD FishingLicense & Refreshments,

and WE DO THE REST!Ken Milam Guide Service(325) 379-2051

www.striperfever.com

Have an outdoor photo you’d like to share?

Send to:

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

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

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


Into the wildernessSubmitted to Construction News

CEO Jay Carlton, Sterling Structures Inc., went elk hunting in Des Moines, NM this fall. –ab

The water has finally made it back to our lake and several others! For the first time in years we get to look for-

ward to all the fishing and catching the New Year will bring. Last year we were trying to clean and clear up the scary wild lake bed to protect ourselves from wild-fires, rattlesnakes and cactus. This year its all about the fish!Just in case you have forgotten what our lakes have to offer, or are new to the area of a recently returning lake, here is an idea of what you can expect.In the Spring the catfish are loving the cold water. If you want a trophy cat, now is the time. White bass are running up the rivers to spawn again. For several years this hasn’t been possible, but now they are back, and catching them is a lot like eating popcorn. Their big cousins the stripers also can be found upriver try-ing to spawn. Look for crappie to be moving up river in their pre-spawn pat-tern. Warm, sunny afternoons draw them up into shallow murky water around brush and trees because this water

Fishing Calendarof Events!

warms up first.As spring warms into summer, smaller catfish become easier to find in shallow water. White bass begin moving back down the river channel after spawning and all they want to do is chase shad and eat anything they can catch. Stripers are moving back down stream forming big schools of fish that form feeding frenzies that anglers dream of in early to mid

summer. Once it gets hot they begin to slip into deeper cooler water, but still like to feed on top on cool mornings. Crappie go back to being their elusive selves once it warms up. I have always thought that is why we consider them so delicious, they can play hard to get. A good crappie guide can still get you on them though.Fall comes in with a mix of blazing left-over summer heat and the promise of

cooler weather. Catching catfish is still steady over baited holes and will come in to chum. The white bass begin to mi-grate upstream again. Stripers can be slow when it’s still hot because they find our water temperatures in Texas to be ex-cessive. Once the shorter days and cooler nights start to cool off the water, they turn back on and feed like crazy because they don’t feed much in the heat. You will catch a lot of smaller stripers, lots of action. Larger stripers begin their swim upstream.Winter sees all the fish staging for next year, heading upstream to spawn. We get some really nice fishing days mixed in with the winter chill. It’s worth checking out if only to take a break from hunting and get out of the house.I think we are in for exciting times on the water in these returning lakes. We have lots of new trees and vegetation improv-ing our fisheries now, plus there are plen-ty of fish out there that haven’t been ex-posed to human fishing pressure or as long as five years in some places. That means they have had plenty of time to get big and bold. I can’t wait!Let’s Go!

Thumbs upSubmitted to Construction News

Doug Desilvio, Texas Moisture Protection Co., celebrates a successful pheasant hunt in Corsicana this fall. –ab


By the baySubmitted to Construction News

Justin Thompson, Meyerland Glass and Mirror, loves spending time fishing in Brazoria County. Shown here with a nice red he caught. –ab

James Chapman, Regency Plumbing, caught a bass on Lake Sam Rayburn and his co-worker, Steve Profaizer, Regency Plumbing, caught a nice

trout at Matagorda. –ab

Reeling in the big onesSubmitted to Construction News

James Chapman Steve Profaizer

First time’s a charmSubmitted to Construction News

Sales manager Joe Lacy, Diamond Hydraulics Inc., and his son, Hudson, 8, enjoyed hunting and fishing together in 2015.

Lacy says he shot an 11-pt. deer this fall. His son, Hudson, shot his very first 8-pt. deer and caught a 1.5-lb. catfish. “Hudson also went on his first official dove hunt and shot four dove,” Lacy said. “He’s growing up to be a great outdoorsman!” –ab

Joe Lacy

Hudson Lacy with his 8-point buck. Hudson Lacy goes fishing

First sharkSubmitted to Construction News

Luke, son of Andrew Hoggatt, Hoggatt LP, was excited to catch a shark in Freeport. –ab

Joy ride Houston Construction News • Jan 2016

Employees and families from JE Dunn Construction joined approximately 800 other volunteers to help build

10,000 bikes for CYCLE at NRG Center.

L-R: Back row: Dave Gillam, Tim DeBord, Paul Kummer and Doug Timmermeyer. Front row: Elizabeth Ferrer, Vicky Kummer and Amber Timmermeyer, JE Dunn Construction

CYCLE is a children’s charity that re-wards students with new bicycles for achieving better academic performance in the classroom. –ab

Ho Ho Ho

Santa and his Houston Fire Department elves visited KBR Inc. in mid-December to pick up more than 4,000 toys donated by KBR employees to the Operation Stock-ing Stuffer toy drive.

KBR is a global technology, engineering, procurement and construction company. –ab

KBR employees with CEO Stuart Bradie and Santa Claus

Santa and some KBR elves

in CONSTRUCTION NEWSis the

Send your Stories and Photosto your city editor

San Antonio:[email protected]

Austin: [email protected]

Houston:[email protected]

DFW: [email protected]

S.Tx: [email protected]


Ladies in the Houston construction industry networked at a holiday so-cial at the 024 Grille in Memorial City

Season greetings

NAWIC members and guests

Dec 5. The National Association of Wom-en in Construction (NAWIC) Houston Chapter held the event. –ab

Guests enjoy dinner with friends in the industry.

L-R: Back row: Jacky Martens, Mid-West Steel Building, 2nd Row: Kate Grix, Otis and Terry Nesch, Joseph Chris Partners, 3rd Row: Pamela Washington, Bechtel Corp and Laurie

Jimenez, Rand Group

Fa la la la la

The LJA Engineering Inc. employees shared laughs and showed off their Christmas sweaters at an ugly

sweater party held at the Houston office in December. Attendees had pizza for lunch. –ab

The JLA Engineering staff

Hannah Juracek Rebecca Puente

Booker T. Washington High School students learned about career op-portunities during the Introduction

to Construction event presented by Marek Brothers in November. “In order to continue to educate the future of the workforce, we partner with school districts to promote workforce de-velopment and careers within the con-struction industry,” said Shannon Zwe-ifel, learning and technology partner at Marek. Zweifel says a partnership was re-cently developed with Booker T. Wash-ington High School and the Architecture and Construction Academy, led by Jere-my Huckeba. “Teachers and leadership staff alike participated in an externship,” Zweifel said. “Staff members were offered insight into the construction industry by speak-ing with project managers and estima-tors.” Students learned about topics such as careers, special tools, safety and build-ing information modeling. Marek Brothers provides residential and commercial interior construction, dry-

Construction low down

Some of Booker T. Washington High School’s students and staffat the Introduction to Construction event.

A student tries on a hard hat.

wall and insulation services. The company was founded in 1938 and has locations in Texas, Atlanta and Oklahoma. –ab

If you could give any-thing to your best friend,

what would it be?

A decorative metal ceiling!Glenn Eldridge

helsea Decorative Metal Co.

I’d give my best friend a ticket to go to a motocross race with me. Freddy Torres, AC Tower

I’d design and build my best friend cus-tom cabinets.

Steve ProcterProcter Custom Woodworking

A plane ticket to New Mexico to go hunt-ing with me!

James Pernell DavisAdvanced Concrete Designs Inc.

I’d buy my wife a plane ticket to Europe so we could see London and Spain to-gether. She has always wanted to travel

to Europe. Daniel Baez, Baez Electrical Services

Time! That is the best thing I could give my wife and best friend, Jennifer.

Pino Zannone,Pino’s Electromechancial

I’d give my best friend a chance to go deer hunting with me.

Justin BlackmonBluestone Contracting

I love woodworking when I am not at work, so I’d make my best friend a wood-en vase or bowl. Michael Stall, Managed Response Inc.

A nice weekend where we could go fish-ing at Lake Livingston. Jerry Ince, Ince Engineering

Submitted to Construction News

Warmest wishes

URETEK ICR Gulf Coast hosted a Christmas party at Black’s Market Table in northwest Houston in December. The company provides polyurethane foundation repair, commercial

concrete lifting, infrastructure repair and soil stabilization solutions. –ab

Making a differance


Construction News JOB SIGHT

Set in concrete

The Mario’s Concrete Pumping crew pours concrete at the Walmart project on FM 518. Emerson Construction is the GC. –ab

Holiday cheer

Pappasitos in Sugar Land was the place to be Dec. 5 for the Raba Kist-ner Inc. Houston office Christmas

party. All the employees who attended the party work in geotechnical engineering/testing and construction materials engi-neering/testing. Raba Kistner is an engineering consult-ing firm with offices in Texas, Utah and Mexico. –ab

L-R: Martin Vila, Nabil Ghannam and Paul Lampe

L-R: Sia Pourfazli and Hamid Badkoobeh L-R: Brandon Flores and Jorge Lopez

Getting things doneConstruction News ON LOCATION

L-R: Owner Christy McCoy and Stacey Orlando have a good day at Marble & Granite Designs. The Alvin-based company has operated for 14 years. –ab

Branch administrative services assistant Haley Schott, ABC Supply Co. Inc.,is ready for the holiday season. –ab

Feeling festiveConstruction News ON LOCATION

The National Electrical Contractors

Association (NECA) Southeast Chapter hosted an annual

meeting and Christmas Party at San Luis Resort in

Galveston Dec. 5. –ab

Jingle all the waySubmitted to Construction News

The 4th Annual ACE Mentor Houston Build It Forward took place at the Marek Brothers Systems Inc. office

Nov. 21. The event brought together stu-dents involved in the ACE Mentor Pro-gram and industry-wide professionals to build storage benches that were deliv-ered to area charitable organizations throughout Houston and the surround-ing areas. “The intent of the fundraiser is to have the students understand that they have the ability to give back to others simply by using their hands,” said Angela Cotie, ACE Mentor Houston chairman. “I am not certain of another fundraiser that gives back to so many, and sends kids to college.” Participating and sponsoring com-

panies included: Gensler, Gilbane Build-ing Company, Pinnacle Structural Engi-neers, Walter P Moore, Arch-Con, Gold-en West, Benchmark, FSG Electric, HOAR Construction, HOK, I.A.Naman & Associates, LBJ Inc., EEReed, American Marble, Chamberlin Roofing & Water-proofing, Kenmor Electric, Lakey Elec-tric Inc., Milam & Co. Painting Inc., Ward, Gerz & Associates LLP, Wiss, Jan-ney, Elstner Associates Inc., Kirksey Ar-chitecture, Terracon and Marek Brothers Systems. ACE Mentor Houston brings the con-struction industry, educational institutions and local community together to expose high school students to the world of archi-tecture, construction, engineering and the building trades. –ab

The ACE Mentor Houston Build It Forward group

Construction Forecast


Construction Outlook:Sweet (and Sour) ‘16

Ken Simonson, Chief Economist AGC of AmericaArlington, VA™

Texas contractors are facing a varied landscape in 2016. Overall, the outlook is favorable, but the slump

in oil and gas drilling will be a major drag.

The state continues to benefit from one of the highest population growth rates in the nation. That keeps demand high for both single - and multifamily housing, schools, stores and many other categories of construction. The U.S. Census Bureau reported in March, “Two Texas metro areas -- Hous-ton-The Woodlands-Sugar Land and Dal-las-Fort Worth-Arlington -- were the only ones in the country to add more than 100,000 residents over the 2013-2014 pe-riod. Within the Houston metro area, Har-ris County alone gained almost 89,000 people, more than any other county in the nation. The Lone Star State also had four metro areas among the nation's 20 fastest growing by rate of change: Aus-tin-Round Rock (third), Odessa (fourth), Midland (ninth) and Houston (11th).” For 2016, population growth is likely to remain especially strong around Dal-las, as three major national firms relocate thousands of employees to new office space there: Toyota and Liberty Mutual in Plano, and State Farm in Richardson. Even in areas of the state where population growth is slowing, there will be a lot of school construction to accommodate re-cent inflows of students. The planning for an expanded Pana-

ma Canal, currently expected to open sometime in 2016, has already triggered billions of dollars of investment in ports, pipelines and other transportation infra-structure, natural gas liquefaction plants, and storage and distribution facilities. More such investments will occur in the coming year. In contrast, railroads are ex-pected to cut back on construction, after years of investing in new track and yards to serve ports and to haul crude oil from drilling areas without enough pipeline capacity to refineries and terminals. Low natural gas prices may encour-age construction of more petrochemical plants and gas-fired power plants. But those same prices will hold down drilling, related service and materials supply busi-nesses, and investment in wind and solar generation—all of which had contributed to construction in Texas in recent years. With the enactment in early Decem-ber of a five-year federal highway and transit funding bill, Texas and other states will see a slight boost in federal dollars for transportation infrastructure. State funds also will be more abundant for highways and universities. Healthcare spending has picked up nationally in 2015 after lagging ever since the 2008-09 recession. Compared with

earlier periods, fewer patients are being admitted overnight to a hospital, and they are staying for fewer days. Conse-quently, hospitals are building more emergency, diagnostic and treatment rooms, and fewer recovery rooms. A larg-er share of healthcare construction spending is going into standalone ur-gent-care facilities, outpatient surgical centers and clinics in stores and shop-ping centers. These trends appear likely to continue in 2016 in Texas as elsewhere. Construction downshifted in Texas in 2015 while accelerating nationally. From November 2014 to November 2015, U.S. contractors increased their employee count by 4.2%, whereas construction job growth in Texas slowed to 1.6% from a 7.7% growth rate a year earlier. In the lat-est 12 months, the state tied for 36th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia. For 2016, national construction em-ployment and spending growth should continue, albeit slightly less robustly than in 2015. Texas also will add construction activity, but the growth will vary widely by region and sector, with the totals again falling short of the nation. In the Austin-Round Rock metro area, construction employment grew by 5% from November 2014 to November 2015. That rate outpaced the state and the nation but was less robust than the 8% increase a year earlier. (Data for Aus-tin and most other metro areas includes mining and logging with construction.) Thanks to population growth, tourism, government and university spending, construction in the capital area should continue to outperform the state as a whole in 2016. In the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area, construction employment has plummeted from some of the high-est growth in the nation—a gain of

11,500 jobs between November 2013 and November 2014—to among the largest declines—a loss of 2,800 jobs between November 2014 and November 2015. (Be-cause the data actually combine mining and logging with construction, the gains and losses to construction employment alone are probably overstated.) In 2016, Dallas and its immediate suburbs are like-ly to experience moderate-to-strong con-struction growth but construction around Fort Worth will be dragged down by oil-industry woes. In the Houston-The Woodlands-Sug-ar Land metro area, construction employ-ment growth slowed dramatically in the past year, from 16,600 jobs added be-tween November 2013 and November 2014 to 4,000 in the following 12 months. Continuing population growth, expand-ed school construction and the windup of some office and industrial projects may keep construction from losing jobs overall in 2016, but further expansion is unlikely for the time being. Construction activity expanded sharply in the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro area in 2015. Construction employ-ment jumped by 10% from November 2014 to November 2015, more than dou-ble the national rate or the local rate a year earlier. In 2016, growth is likely to continue but at a more subdued pace. Construction activity was mixed in South Texas in 2015. Year-over-year em-ployment growth had matched or ex-ceeded the national average through early 2015 in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mis-sion metro area but stalled beginning in April. Employment has been nearly flat in the Brownsville-Harlingen area after slip-ping throughout 2014 and 2015. (Data for these and most other metro areas in-cludes mining and logging with construc-tion.) In 2016, both areas are likely to re-cord small increases in construction.

Interest rates up, labor down for 2016

Shane Hesters, North Texas Division ManagerYates ConstructionFort Worth, TX

What is your opinion about the current state of the Dallas/Fort

Worth construction industry? By all accounts, the Dallas/Fort Worth construction industry is currently one of the hottest markets in the coun-try. When assessing the viability of a cer-tain geographic location, Yates Construc-tion takes into consideration labor re-sources, commodities, equipment inven-tories and the level of state and local economic development initiatives. With D/FW’s business-friendly envi-ronment, along with an attractive cost of doing business and cost of living, all four of these indicators are particularly strong right now. On the heels of the U.S. Fed-eral Reserve recently raising interest rates, D/FW could see a burst of home sales with that market expected to reach $24 billion by 2015 year-end, which would be a record for the region and spur development in additional sectors that further impact and benefit our local construction industry.

What markets do you expect your company and industry to see an in-

crease in over the course of 2016? Why? D/FW is a dynamic market, and one of the few in the country where multiple sectors are all seeing concurrent and consistent growth. Yates’ diverse portfo-lio includes public, manufacturing, ath-letic facilities, office and mixed-use proj-ects and one of our targets in 2016 and beyond is to leverage our people and experience to establish a solid backlog of private commercial construction projects in North Texas. A primary strength of Yates’ is our passion for and expertise in building high-rise condominiums and with D/FW experiencing the biggest high-rise condo boom since the 1980s, we foresee this being one of our busiest markets next year. As one of ENR’s top-ranked multi-unit residential contractors in the nation, Yates is uniquely qualified to help owners deliver an entire spec-trum of styles and prices to their high-rise condo customers.

What do you foresee as the biggest challenge your company and others like it in the industry will face in 2016?

There are myriad challenges facing the construction industry, but the short-age of skilled workers probably looms largest. Carpenters, sheet metal installers, brick layers and concrete workers are in es-pecially short supply, but the industry is also challenged with filling salaried posi-tions such as project managers, estimators and engineers. The unfortunate fact is that too few students are being exposed to construction careers or provided with the basic skills needed to prepare for such a career path. To address this issue, con-struction companies can increase funding for career and technical education, work with educators to help establish construc-tion academy charter schools and expand partnerships between apprenticeship programs and community colleges. Be-cause Yates’ primary asset is our people, we continue to place a premium on re-cruiting, training and retaining top-of-class performers that share our mission, which is to provide value to our clients, and our core values, which are safety, in-tegrity, passion and commitment.

What do you think will be different for your company and the industry in 2016 compared to the previous year? Are there any trends that are generat-ing buzz? Yates continues to experience steady and impressive growth in Texas. In fact, we catapulted 19 spots from #32 in 2014 up to #13 in 2015 in ENR Texas and Louisiana’s “Top Contractor” rankings. Our portfolio diversity, combined with our depth of talent, has allowed us to stay active in multiple markets. In 2016, Yates will continue to ex-pand our focus on technology, with Ocu-

lus Rift at the forefront. The Rift is a virtual reality head-mounted display headset with integrated headphones that provide a 3-D audio effect allowing the entire project team to virtually walk through the buildings they have just designed. With our custom programming and software optimization, Yates can create an incredi-ble visual fidelity and an immersive field of view that helps our clients visualize and spatially coordinate their projects.

How would you sum up the last five years for business at Yates, and what do you predict for the next five years? The past five years have been very busy and productive for Yates, both in Texas and nationally. We successfully navigated the recession and actually grew our team of people and project portfolio in Texas. Our offices in D/FW, San Antonio and Houston are all in ex-pansion mode. Long term, our Vision 2020 (known as 10x20) identifies 10 areas of excellence to focus on over the next five years with specific metrics in each area to measure our progress during this time frame, in-cluding safety, portfolio diversity, cus-tomer satisfaction, performance, train-ing, innovation, community involvement, culture, teamwork and sustainability. Each area has a corporate champion to lead our efforts, but it takes everyone’s full support to succeed. 10x20 exempli-fies Yates’ continued commitment to im-provement and excellence as we prepare for the future. Founded in 1964, family-owned Yates Construction provides a wide range of con-struction and building services. –mjm

Construction Forecast


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Construction Safety

Lending small businessowners a hand

Debra Ruiz, Vice President - Construction Loan ManagerWells FargoSan Antonio, TX

Part of Debra Ruiz’s job at Wells Fargo is to assist the small business owner by working with them on

loans to purchase or build a space for their operations. These small business owners are the clients of the construction companies and contractors who build or renovate those spaces. So, we asked her what she sees in the construction loan forecast for small business borrowers in 2016.

What does your position as construc-tion loan manager of the SBA Lending Group in San Antonio entail? I manage and oversee an SBA port-folio of close to $40 million in construc-tion-related loan volume. While oversee-ing this portfolio, I am maintaining excel-lent customer service to both my internal and external clients of Wells Fargo Bank. I have the entire State of Texas under my management. My specialty is in Small Business Ad-ministration, working with various gen-eral contractors, architects and the small business borrower on a day-to-day basis. We like to say that we are making dreams come true in the small business world.

What do you expect will be the big-gest changes to construction lending in 2016? On my desk and what I have seen ap-proved in our Texas market, are more and more ground up construction projects. We have a lot of land in Texas, so building and owning your own building is key. With the year’s end wrapping up and winding down, I already have approxi-

mately $20 million in approved loan vol-ume, all awaiting on their architects’ plans, zoning, replatting, permits, and just construction bids from their selected general contractor. These are already in the closing group and just waiting. This does not ac-count for the new loans being approved [in December], and this is just the one month forecast in January 2016. I forecast we are just going to get busier in the con-struction industry in 2016. With that said, I foresee an increase in construction material and costs, as this happens every year. With activity in the market and throughout Texas, I would also hope for an increase in overall ap-praisal values for the small business cus-tomer/client. Are there any expected shifts in the market that would affect construction loans next year? I have seen historically the overall va-cancies rates in existing real estate/con-dos improve a great deal. I know some of our Texas cities do not have enough in-ventory to sell, or the real estate seems to

be purchased quickly with cash by a sell-er versus waiting on financing.

Do you expect any increases or de-creases in business or interest rates? They have been stable. I do not think they will go up. You hear about it from the Fed, but nothing has happened. I think since we are in an election season, that will come down the road. Lenders are being very aggressive and competi-tive in rates to secure deals. So, it is the time for a small business to request a loan, if they plan to expand, purchase a building or build a new building for their small business. What should clients expect when ap-plying for construction loans? With my job role as a construction loan manager-SBA lending, I am working with the borrower on their approved loan to get them to the closing table as well as making sure their selected gener-al contractor has met the bank’s and SBA requirement to minimize the construc-tion risk. The contractors are not applying for the loan, but once I ask for their financials for bank review, they feel like they are ap-plying themselves. The overall goal is to waive the payment and performance bond fee for the small business owner. This is the fee the contractors pass over to the borrower/owner on the contract. My goal is to try to eliminate this fee, to benefit the small business.

What does the process involve and how long does it take? The SBA-Small Business Lending pro-cess is not fast. So, that is a very open-ended question. We have some small leaseholder deals that have historically closed as quick as 10 days or less. But keep in mind, the borrower has to be on

spot and proactive on their end in provid-ing the paperwork the bank has required. Then, the longer processed loans can take up to six months-plus. Keep in mind, this is based on all of the replatting, zon-ing and permitting processes involved. The loan approval process is the first step of a long process. The six months estimate is the beginning phase of loan application up to the close date. And the close date is based on when the building permit is is-sued. So, the overall process is truly up to the borrower and how fast they really want to close their overall project. What changes have you seen in con-struction lending, as a market or in terms of business, over the last five years? And what would you like to see change? Projects are getting bigger and busier. As I stated earlier, if the inventory for real es-tate is scarce, then small businesses are wanting and needing to purchase their own building or building a new one for business expansion. So, it will only get busier. The overall appraisal values have bounced back since the lull we had back in 2008-2009. So again, I have to repeat that it is the time to borrow, especially for the small business. And keep in mind, the small business has to be profitable and not in the red or negative (net losses). I fore-cast more and more borrowers want to be their own boss, and then be a small busi-ness owner themselves versus working for a big corporate company. And I believe the city fees will increase year after year. I would like to see the building per-mit process throughout the major cities of Texas move a bit faster to benefit the small business owner. Debra Ruiz began her banking career in 1996 and has been working with small busi-nesses since 1999. She has been with Wells Fargo Bank, NA-SBA Lending for 12 years. –mh

What is your projection for the Hous-ton construction industry for 2016? I think the construction market will be good in 2016, but not as robust as the past two years. In my opinion, the medical and high-er education markets should be leaders in the industry for the upcoming year.

Quality craftsmenin demand for 2016

Roger Berry, President SLCHSpawGlass Construction Corp.Houston, TX

What do you think will be the keys to success for 2016? As always, find the right project that fits your current team’s strengths and ability to perform, including sufficient tradesman required to meet the project schedule.

In your opinion, what will be the chal-lenges in the next year? Craftsmen will be our greatest chal-lenge. The availability of qualified workers on-site will affect the overall schedule and quality of the projects we are con-structing.

What is your projection concerning the cost/and or supply of materials? I believe that certain materials will reduce in price based on the commodity markets. However concrete will probably be steady based on future demand.

Is it a good time to build? I think it is a good time to build as a private owner, financing is favorable.

However budget constraints seem to always push the limits of available money for certain types of work.

What is on the horizon for the Hous-ton construction industry? It will be interesting to see what the oil companies capital projects will do based on the current price of oil. In addition, I think the medical proj-ects will probably rise to the top of fu-ture work. SpawGlass is a Texas-based general contractor, construction manager, design/builder and civil contractor with offices in Austin, Houston, North Texas, San Antonio, South Texas and the Golden Triangle. –ab

Round-UpHouston Construction News • Jan 2016

Association CalendarContent submitted by Associations to Construction News

ABCAssociated Builders & Contractors

Jan. 7: 2016 Leadership ForumJan. 12: Membership Orientation Lun-cheonJan. 20: Inaugural CelebrationJan. 29: Membership BreakfastFor more information call 713-523-6222

AGCAssociated General Contractors

Jan. 21: Member Orientation, 11:30amJan. 28: Annual Chapter meeting, 7amFor more information call 713-843-3700

AIAAmerican Institute of Architects

Jan. 2: Urban Art Tour Downtown Hous-tonJan. 9: Rice University Walking TourJan. 16: Houston Heights Bicycle TourJan. 23: 3rd Ward Bicycle TourJan. 30: Montrose Walking TourFor more information: www.aiahouston.org

ASAAmerican Subcontractors Association

Jan. 6: Membership meetingJan. 13: Safety Professionals Peer GroupJan. 21: General Lunch meetingJan. 26: Safety meetingJan. 29: 19th Annual Excellence in Con-struction Awards, Houston Junior LeagueFor more information call 281- 679-1877

CSIConstruction Specifications Institute

Jan. 25: Chapter meeting, 5:30pm, Eco-nomic Outlook for Construction, Guest Speaker: Pat Kiley, Kiley Advisors, mem-bers and first time member guests are

free, non-members $35, includes dinnerFor more information visit http://www.csihouston.org

FPAFoundation Performance Assoc.

Jan. 13: Monthly meeting, 5pm, Speaker: Gary Beck, P.E. ECO-Holdings Engineer-ing ServicesFor more information: www.foundation-performance.org

HAGAHouston Area Glass Association

Jan. 13: Quarterly Dinner meeting, 5:30pmFor more information visit www.hous-tonglass.org

IECIndependent Electrical Contractors

Jan. 20: Monthly meetingFor more information call 713-869-1976

NAWICNat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

Jan. 12: General Dinner meeting, 3:30pm: Networking, 6pm: Dinner and Business meeting, HESS Club, 5430 Wes-theimer Rd. $35 Dinner and Program with reservation, $40 Dinner and Pro-gram without reservation, $8 Program only, membership is not a requirement for attendance, guests are always wel-comeFor more info: www.nawic-houston.org.

PHCC Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors

Jan. 22: Casino Night, 6:30pm, Cadillac Bar & GrillFor more info: www.gulfcoastphcc.org

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

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

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

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

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Party timeSubmitted to Construction News

Houston Area Glass Association (HAGA) President James "Luke" Lucas, Southwest Glass, greets members and guests at the HAGA Holiday Social held at the Westwind Club Dec. 3. –ab

Jalal Zeitoune has joined Johnston LLC as the practice leader for interior design and Melissa Wright is the new director of market-ing. Elkin Aguilar, AIA NCARB, LEED AP, has also joined the firm as design practice leader in architecture. Zeitoune re-ceived his Master High Studies in Inte-rior Architecture at the Lebanese Uni-versity Institute of Art in Tripoli. Wright holds a B.A. degree in Mar-keting from the Uni-versity of Houston – Clear Lake. Aguilar re-ceived his Bache-lor’s degree in Ar-chitecture and Ur-ban Design at America University in Bogotá, Colombia.

Zeitoune

Wright

Aguilar

Katherine A. Or-mond has been named an associate at Glassman Shoe-make Maldonado Architects in Hous-ton. Ormond will manage the design, development and coordination of a variety of projects.

Costello has hired Jose G. Roberto, PE, as director of construction servic-es. Roberto has more than 30 years experience. He will lead the Costello team in the execu-tion of CEI and con-struction services contracts for TxDOT, HCTRA, other toll road authorities and design-build projects. Roberto earned his BS degree in Civil Engineering from the University of South Carolina.

Lockwood, Andrews & Newman Inc. (LAN) has promoted two employees to lead its infrastructure large diameter and transportation business groups. Warren Green PE, has been pro-moted to vice presi-dent and business group director of LAN’s infrastructure large diameter group. Green holds a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from Mississippi State University. Dev Rastogi, PE, has been pro-moted to vice presi-dent and business group director of the firm’s transpor-tation group. Rasto-gi graduated from Washington Univer-sity in St. Louis with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering.

Chuck Wolf has joined Arcadis as senior vice presi-dent. In his new po-sition, he will focus on emerging infra-structure and water issues in Texas for Arcadis. Wolf holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in civil engineer-ing from Texas A&M University.

LJA Engineering Inc. has promoted Patrick Carrigan-Smith, PE, to proj-ect manager in the firm’s Houston Land Development Division. Carrigan-Smith brings more than five years of engineering experience in both land de-velopment and water/wastewater de-sign. He is graduate of California State University, Chico, with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering.

Nick Kennedy founded RISE with a laser focus on transforming air travel for frequent travelers. Co-

founder Clynt Taylor had been involved in numerous start-ups and entrepreneur-ial ventures since leaving IBM. Both had traveled extensively, and suffered through the valuable time lost dealing with airport lines and delayed flights. To-gether they assembled a world-class team and leveraged their skill sets to rev-olutionize private air travel to make it ac-cessible through membership. RISE (iflyrise.com) is a game changer with no lines, VIP treatment and bringing back dignity to flying. Flying out of Austin, Dallas, Houston, and soon San Antonio, their members spend very little time in airports and they have them flying within minutes of their arrival. The only thing worse than spend-ing hours in traffic is spending hours stuck in lines. RISE airports have free parking and are outfitted with a con-

cierge, Wi-Fi, snacks, a comfortable lobby with bathrooms, charging outlets and much more. “Somewhere in my two million miles of commercial air travel, I determined that I would find a way to make travel better for time starved executives,” Ken-nedy says. “The solution had to be afford-able, accessible and a justifiable expense, not a luxury. It had to be safe and conve-nient as well as recover what has been lost in commercial air travel – time and dignity. I hope you'll join the RISE com-munity of successful frequent travelers. We created it with you in mind." Reclaiming hours of busy executives lives is critical professionally and person-ally, and RISE affords them that opportu-nity. “Monthly membership dues are fixed, no matter how much you fly – five times or 20 times a month. So your CFO will never complain about your travel ex-penses again,” Kennedy said. –lh

L-R: Dan Caine, Megan Hodges, Nick Kennedy and Clynt Taylor invite busy professionals to try a more efficient way of moving around Texas.

A win-win for busy people

continued from Page 1 — Family matters

continued from Page 1 — 15 years and counting

continued from Page 1 — Constructing with care

Rolling up sleeves


“The main challenge the construc-tion team faced and overcame was per-manent power was not available to the site until one month prior to substantial completion,” he said. “Green board was used for the drywall and generators were brought in to provide power for con-struction.” Fredrickson says this project is a de-sign/build project that allows the archi-tect and construction firm to design and build to the target value of the owner. “This team has been working togeth-er to construct these centers with minor

The Houston Methodist Cypress Emergency Care Center has 10 exam rooms.

Ingram and employees had fun dec-orating the company truck with Christ-mas lights for the parade. “In addition, we like to stay active in the community during the year,” Ingram said. “We are active with the Lions Club

and Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. We like to volunteer as much as possible.” Webster-based Ingram Plumbing is a family-owned full-service commercial and residential plumbing company. –ab

a holiday family get together and em-ployees enjoy attending the local Christ-mas parade. They also all go out to din-ner with their spouses. “We typically close the office be-tween Christmas and New Years Day be-cause it allows everyone a 10-day vaca-tion,” he said. When Michna and his wife have free time, they go fishing together, relax at the beach, watch Texas A & M football and spend time with family. Employees like to go fishing near the Texas coast and they like to play golf in their off time. Several employees have

children who participate in cheerleading and sports. Looking ahead, Michna says his goal for the company is to continue what they are doing now and do it better. He’d also like to hire a few more employees in the future. “We appreciate all the support we are getting from our community,” he said Shelmark Engineering provides civil, structural and marine engineering services to coastal communities along the entire Texas Gulf Coast. The company primarily handles residential and commercial proj-ects in Galveston County. –ab

Young construction professionals worked with Urban Philanthropy by KP to turn an empty lot in Southeast Houston into a sustainable garden Dec. 5. The purpose of the project was to help local residents transform their com-

munity into a healthier place. The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Houston Chapter was involved in the community garden project. –ab

Ready to mingle, electrical contractors and suppliers caught up with friends at the Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) Texas Gulf Coast Chapter Christmas open house held at the IEC office Dec. 2. –ab

Electrical Christmas

L-R: The IEC Texas Gulf Coast Chapter 2016 Board of Directors: Ken Hengst, Sean Gilstrap,Joe Banda, Larry Burns, Jim Roberts, Danny Colwell, John White, Charlie Pfeiffer,

Armando Lozano and Michael Luck

modifications,” he said. “This is the fourth center to be provided in this manner and a fifth center, Houston Methodist Spring Emergency Care Center, is currently un-derway at 5303 FM 2920 in Spring.” Founded in 1938, Linbeck is a construc-tion firm offering construction manage-ment at-risk, design/build, integrated proj-ect delivery and related vertical construc-tion services. The firm has three offices in Houston, San Antonio and Fort Worth and employs 227 people. Linbeck’s portfolio primarily consists of higher education, private primary and sec-ondary education, healthcare, cultural, hospitality, and large mixed-use and high-density residential real estate. –ab

Key professional team:Project Superintendent: Joe FergusonArchitect: PhiloWilke Partnership (Greg Johnson and Melissa Edwards)

How sweet it isHouston Construction News • Jan 2016

Spectators visited Hermann Square Dec. 12 where more than 30 teams of local architecture firms, de-sign professionals, students and enthusiasts com-

peted in the 7th annual Gingerbread Build-Off. Teams created their masterpieces using 100 percent edible materials. Awards were handed out acknowledging the most unique and creative gingerbread structures completed. Following the Build-Off, winners and select com-petitors were featured in a one-week exhibition Dec. 14-18 at Architecture Center Houston. Architecture Center Houston hosted the event. –ab

Grand Prix de Show: Coral Reef - Courtney Harper+Partners 1st Runner Up: Buddha Mountain - English + Associates

2nd Runner-Up & Tallest Standing Structure: Milkweed House - American Construction Investigations Ltd.,

League of Native Planters

Public Favorite & Most Creative Interpretation of Materials: Sandcastle - Thomas Printworks, Ginger and the Snaps

Best Traditionally Themed: Dollhouse - Kirksey & Canopy

Best Non-Traditionally Themed: Tower Theater -Jackson & Ryan Architects

Best Architectural Icon: Gerald D. Hines Water Wall -PBK Architects

High School Challenge: City Hall - Klein Forest High School


Mustang CAT created its Christmas display in December using construction equipment at the Northwest Freeway location. The display is a tradition that has

been around for more than 20 years. –ab

Stars so brightSubmitted to Construction News

The FireTron Inc. Stafford employees recently traveled to the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort to attend the Notifier Annual Leadership Conference. The company was

named Distributor of the Year for a second time. –ab

Safety firstSubmitted to Construction News

Holly jollySubmitted to Construction News

Front counter salesman Javier Lopez has a great day at Nationwide Tools & Supplies in December. –ab

Construction News JOB SIGHT

The Southern Shingles LaMarque location employees are ready to start a busy week. Ryan Langston (right) is the branch manager. –ab

Southern hospitalityConstruction News ON LOCATION

Merry and brightConstruction News JOB SIGHT

The J.B. Martin Construction Co. crew does the concrete work and the J & M Plumbing crew provides the plumbing work at the Maria Restaurant project in Dickinson. –ab

Taking measure

The Oxford Builders Inc. crew builds a bridge at The Houstonian Club.The structure will be covered with Ipe wood. – ab

L-R: Estella Carrasco, Dave Franklin, Ramona Espinoza, Chandra Franklin Womack, Jeannette Jimenez, Rachel Riley and Robert Dinjar gather by the Christmas decorations

at the Aran & Franklin Engineering Inc. office in Texas City. –ab

Tis the seasonConstruction News ON LOCATION

houston construction news january 2016

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