Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News February 2016

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TexasStyle

Covering the Industry’s News

Thanksgiving Park - Dallas

Of the masses of people moving to and living in North Texas, some crave rental convenience, hotel

luxury and close proximity to the some of the Metroplex’s hottest venues. JPI’s development partner, senior vice president and lead developer Matt Brendel, project manager Dallas Meade and superintendent Victor Baltrunas delivered that lifestyle to North Texas. The team collaborated with architecture firm O’Brien & Associates’ Richard Nor-dyke and Jack O’Brien to create the Jef-ferson Las Colinas, a 6.6-acre Class A, ur-ban development located in Irving’s Las Colinas area. JPI broke ground on what Brendel describes as a “highly-amenitzed com-munity catering towards the upper-end, renter-by-choice” in Oct. 2013. The 386-unit apartment community was complet-ed two years later, and while many as-pects – including working with the city of

Irving – went smoothly, the project was not without its challenges. “Over the last year, we’ve had quite a bit of rain, which impacted the schedule of the project,” Brendel says. “Another challenge was getting electric delivery coordinated in a timely manner. Also, there’s definitely a shortage of labor in the market today, but we were able to overcome that with our tenure and the relationships we have with our subs.” The finished result shows no signs of struggle. Along the street frontage, JPI exclusively utilized quality masonry ma-terials including NevilStone, stucco and brown metallic–sheened porcelain tile that complements the context of the Ir-ving Convention Center across the street. “We’ve also implemented a lit rotun-da on the southeast corner of the com-munity,” Brendal says. “It has program-mable LED lighting so you can change

The Jefferson Las Colinas’ rotunda’s programmable LED lights can be color coordinatedfor specific occasions.

Just as those “get healthy” New Year’s resolutions are losing steam for some, C1S Group is being lauded for

its commitment to employee health. For the third year in a row, the firm earned a ranking on Outside Magazine’s “Best Places to Work” list because of its focus on its staff’s health and well-being. CEO Julie Strong says the company offers unique activities and tools that al-low team members to easily incorporate healthier choices into their workday and lifestyle. “We have metrics that we look at ev-ery week. Obviously, there are financial metrics, there are client satisfaction met-rics, but there are also fun metrics,” Strong says. “We’re looking at how many times we are gathering the group out-

side of the office or even inside these four walls for the purpose of building each other together stronger as a team. We call those our ‘outside activities.’” Like other companies, employee get-togethers such as lunches, picnics and family events are the norm, but C1S Group goes above and beyond to get its 22 employees moving. For instance, the company has a two-person “side hack” bike so that employees can ride to lunch together. Last Christmas, the staff re-ceived GoPro cameras with the challenge to do something active, film it and enter it in the office’s video contest. The group regularly volunteers in their community planting school gardens and creating

A two-person “side hack” bike lets employees ride to favorite lunch spots.

Big changes are happening under the roof of Fort Worth-based build-ing envelope contractor Ramon

Franklin LLC. The company announced its acquisi-tion of Saratoga Roofing & Construction LLP’s waterproofing division, the ap-pointment of former Saratoga president Denver Green as company president/COO and its expansion into Oklahoma. Michael Franklin will continue to serve the company as chief executive of-ficer. His lifelong friend Paul Ramon, with whom he founded Ramon Franklin in 2010, amicably sold his interests late last year in order to focus on his residential business, Ramon Roofing Inc. The changes allow the company to offer waterproofing services to clients

and better serve them through its new Oklahoma City and Tulsa locations. The company plans to announce its new name at a later date. “Ramon Franklin’s recently-acquired waterproofing division has a superior re-cord; it’s the people who have and will continue to make this a strong business component for the company,” Franklin says. “As for Ramon Franklin’s growth strategy, it will focus on four compo-nents: aluminum composite wall panels, waterproofing, architectural sheet metal and premium commercial roofing.” In its nearly six years of business, Ra-mon Franklin has completed several no-table projects, including the award win-ning Legacy ER in Allen, Trinity Valley

Ramon Franklin LLC’s Michael Franklin says company changes are underway.

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News • Feb 2016

Gingerbread winner

Dallas construction firm Novel Builders is digging in to the construction of Arlington’s Champions Park. Designed by GSO Architects’ Lisa Swift and located at Collins and I-30 in the city’s entertainment district, the initial project will include four buildings offering

60,000sf of retail, with pad sites poured for additional buildings. The opening of the businesses is slated for 2017. –mjm

Break-ground of ChampionsSubmitted to Construction News

L-R: Electrical contractor Freddieamerica.com’s Andrew Raymond Nylund, Joe Torres, David Frias and Freddie Lopez carefully install a luxury light fixture at The Bright

Group’s Dallas location. Lopez said he felt every pound and every dollar of the $9,000 fixture as they hoisted it into place. –mjm

Not a lightweightConstruction News JOB SIGHT

The Bury Inc. offices recently put their creative problem solving skills to use for some good old-fashioned

fun in the first annual company-wide gin-gerbread house contest! Check out the creative entries that came in from various markets all over the state, with descrip-tions from the teams responsible. –cw

Left:Hansel & Gretel - holes drilled in gingerbread for lights; lights form wreath, line house eaves and light windows and BURY spelled out with

red skittles in pathway

A Day at the Beach - Notice the beach babe laying out under an umbrella, the “BURY” ramp from the house, the gingerbread couple’s pickup truck parked beneath the house and the volleyball net on the beach. Furthermore, one of the new Bury Yeti cups is featured with a

tropical drink.

The Winspear Opera House - Inspired by the design of Spence de Grey, this 21st-century gingerbread reinterpretation of the traditional opera house is located in the heart of the Bury

Dallas District.


CONSTRUCTION NEWS

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Melissa Jones-Meyer . . . . . Dallas/Fort Worth [email protected] 817-731-4823

Dallas Fort Worth

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.

If you are a construction-related companyin Dallas, Tarrant, Collin or Denton counties

and are not receiving a free copy of theDallas/Fort Worth Construction News, callfor a Requester Form, or visit our website.

Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Buddy DoebblerEditorial/Production . . . . . . . Reesa Doebbler Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cyndi WrightAdmin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lacie CortezProduction Manager. . . . . . . . . . Sue JohnsonMarketing Director . . . . . . Leslye Hernandez

L-R: IBTX’s Risk Services’ Angelina Ward, Danielle Dinser, Kat Trewin, Mike Hendrickson and Bobby Shuey gathered with staff to celebrate the holiday season

and remember the highlights of 2015. –mjm

All together nowSubmitted to Construction News

Correction

Chas PutnamCable ElectricIEC Apprenticeship Program

Texas Apprentice

Forty-year-old Chas Putnam is proof that a person returning to learning

mid-life can still make the grade. The Cable Electric employee earned the highest marks in the apprenticeship program of the Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) Association (Fort Worth/Tarrant County chapter). “It’s really admirable what Chas has done,” Cable Electric owner/president Terry Browning says. ”To have a man be dedicated and motivated and try to be at the top of the class and be an exam-ple for his peers – that’s huge. We’re proud of Chas. I wish we could get that message out to more people, that trade is an education and it has many paths of opportunities.” It’s a message Putnam hadn’t con-sidered until after high school, when he began helping friends with their re-modeling business while he attended Bible training school. His skill and work ethic caught the attention of a Frisco contractor and the contractor’s electri-cian, both of whom employed him. Later, when his wife Traci, a registered nurse, was offered a job in Fort Worth, it was also a chance for him to define his career path. “I really enjoyed being a part of building trades,” he says. “I like putting my hands to something and construct-ing, building, renovating old things and making them new.” After moving, Putnam stumbled upon IEC and was referred to the asso-ciation’s website, which outlined the apprenticeship program and partici-

pating companies, one of which was Cable Electric. When Putnam contact-ed Browning, not only did Browning of-fer him a job, but he also pledged to reimburse Putnam his tuition if he maintained an A-average. ‘My wife said, “You need to take him up on that and make sure you make an A!”’ he laughs. “It had been so many years since I had been in school, I was a little intimidated about going back. I was determined that I was going to put as much effort into it as I could and try to do my best. Once it started, I discovered that I was actually pretty good at it.” Putnam was so good, in fact, that he was named “Apprentice of the Year” twice. Now, with his four-year appren-ticeship (and nights of homework) end-ing, Putnam plans to spend more time with Traci and children George, Evelyn and Nora and do a little fishing. He also recently moved from Cable Electric’s new construction division into the ser-vice department. “It’s very interesting going in and troubleshooting things; you don’t get those opportunities out in the field,” he says. “I’m trying to soak as much of that up as possible. There are some great electricians here and it’s been a real blessing and opportunity to be a part of it. I’m just very thankful and humbled to be a part of the whole thing.” –mjm

In the January 2016 legal column, “Texas Mechanic’s and Materialman’s Liens on pri-vate projects in Texas,” it should have said the author, Janet Townsley, and the firm, The Cromeens Law Firm, are based in Houston. Construction News regrets the error.

Plumb happyConstruction News ON LOCATION

Carlos Saucedo, part-owner of Saucedo Plumbing in Dallas, looks forwardto the Fort Worth job he has scheduled for the day. –mjm

At Construction News, we receive several questions from our readers each month, and often readers in-

quire as to how to get the paper. We are very happy to say that our website, www.constructionnews.net, makes it easy to get copies and subscriptions. Here are a couple of those frequently asked ques-tions and their answers.

How do I subscribe to the paper? On our website, go to the menu bar and click “Subscribe.” Fill out the sub-scription form. The subscription is free upon approval. You can only get a free subscription if your office is located in the area of the paper for which you are requesting a subscription. Please check the county listings for your city/paper to make sure you are in that coverage area. If you are approved, you will receive the next month’s issue in the mail. If you apply after the 20th of the month, you will receive the issue following the next month’s paper. Free subscriptions are given to company decision makers, such as presidents, CEOs, vice presidents and branch managers. Only one free sub-scription is allowed per location. Free subscriptions are not approved for companies that are outside the con-struction industry or for employees, oth-er than decision makers, of a company. Free subscriptions for residential con-tractors are only given in San Antonio. If you are not approved for a subscription, you can request a paid subscription for

How to get the paper

$35 for the year per city, payable by Pay-Pal, or you can choose one of the follow-ing options. Read on for details.

How do I get copies of the paper? People who would like copies of the paper have a few choices. For starters, you can pick up free copies at any of our rack locations. On our website, go to the menu bar and click “Rack Locations.” Select your city. The map will display all of the rack locations in your surrounding area. There are many racks in each city in offices, shops and other supplier and vendor locations. Those locations only carry the paper for that area. Also, you can download a free PDF copy of the paper. On our website, go to the top right corner and click “Paper Ar-chives.” Digital versions of each paper for each city going back to 2001 are available for download from our online archives. Furthermore, you can request a digi-tal reprint of an article, often used for framing. These are digital versions of the complete article, full size and full color, with the masthead from the issue in which the article appeared. On our web-site, go to the top right corner and click “Digital Reprints.” To order a digital re-print, fill out the reprint form. The charge for a digital reprint is $42 plus tax, and the form will redirect to PayPal. Upon payment, you will receive a PayPal re-ceipt. Your digital reprint will be deliv-ered by email soon after. –mh


Jeff McBrayerPresident

ATMAC Mechanical

A heart for service is what led former accountant Jeff McBrayer to leave the fast track of corporate account-

ing and lead a North Texas mechanical contracting company to be “Service at Work.” Nearly 11 years later, the president of ATMAC Mechanical LLP reflects on les-sons learned and the team that helps him get it done.

Tell me about your background; did you grow up in a construction family? My dad, his brothers and extended family were all in sales, so construction was a different direction for me. I went to Baylor and earned my Bachelors in Busi-ness Administration and Accounting. Shortly thereafter, I got my CPA certifi-cate and went to work in a public ac-counting firm for four years. That experience was great because it gave me a chance to work within a lot of different industries. Many clients had jobs that were very project-based – they had a budget and we were trying to achieve the goal of finishing our audit en-gagements on time. There’s definitely a service aspect as well because we were working on an ongoing contract basis with our customers and we wanted to give them our best. Some of our customers at the ac-counting firm were mechanical contrac-tors and builders, so I had some experi-ence with construction business as well as manufacturing companies. At these engagements, we were at their office working with the administration, so it al-lowed me to compare and contrast the personality of the companies.

How did you make the leap from ac-counting to a career as a mechanical contractor? I got my MBA after working in public accounting while in Chicago. I spent five years there, and I spent a little time after school working in investment banking in New York “climbing the ladder.” I thought – even as I was growing up – that was what I wanted to do, but I realized the corporate climb wasn’t for me; I enjoy working with people more. I realized I was looking for something in the corporate world that didn’t really exist for me. I was more comfortable tak-ing what I had learned in business school and then looking for a business that was more aligned with my personality and work to improve it.

I started looking at service-oriented opportunities after my wife Katie and I moved back to Dallas. The original owner of this company, George Smith, started the business back in the 1950s as an A/C service company. His son, Dan Smith, took over the company around 1990 and added a construction component, grew that business and hired many of the key employees that are working here today. Dan Smith and I met in late 2004. We talked about the business and George’s interest in selling it. I did some research into the company and it was a good fit for us both. He already had key people on staff in the plumbing and air condition-ing trades, and I could add my business background and value of service. I felt like we made a good team together. The company was renamed ATMAC Mechani-cal, and we’ve been able to grow the business into what it is today.

What was the first year like? It was difficult. Establishing solid re-lationships are very important in this in-dustry and it took a lot of work to develop those relationships. I think people need-ed to see how it all was going to work out first. It didn’t take us long as a company to succeed, though. Jerry Thompson, the VP of plumbing construction, Chris Brister VP of HVAC and all the skilled tradespeo-ple on our team really work well together. Our personalities fit. Jerry and Chris ap-proach the business the same way I do: We’re all serving each other and serving our customers. It’s the tradespeople out in the field that are getting the work done for our clients. Jerry and Chris serve the guys in the field and I serve them by managing the process, solving business problems. They don’t have to worry about the financial and accounting part of the business. They focus on the job in front of them and get it done right the first time. We say ATMAC Mechanical is “Service At Work” because it is what we believe in. It’s how we get it done.

What lessons have you learned in the past decade from your work here? When I started 10 years ago, I felt I should defer to the technical guys and trust our people to do a good job. I’m glad now that I took that approach, be-cause I’ve seen firsthand the growth that takes place when you let people make their own decisions. You have to allow them to make mistakes. There’s a lot of growth that comes when they think through that process and not have to worry. You want people to be able to take risks and not be risk-adverse for the com-pany. I trusted that it was the right ap-proach, and in the end, I’m glad that’s the way it went. I naturally trust others to do their best. The hardest thing for me is to let them be accountable for their decisions and know when I need to give somebody a pat on the back versus saying, “We need to do it differently next time.”

What fun things do you do as a com-pany? We brought all of the employees to-gether at Christmas. We usually do a cookout in the back warehouse area at Christmas, but we were so busy last year, we went over to Dickey’s Barbecue – we outsourced it! It’s a lot of fun. It’s impor-tant for all 75 people to come under one roof, to sit at the same table.

We also just went though a process where 15 of the core group office and su-pervisors spent an afternoon in a leader-facilitated session to come up with ways we can improve as a company. It started off with anonymous feedback about what is working and what’s not working. From there, we talked about what values were important for the company and conversely, what actions were not. We then all committed together to continue to work to create a culture that’s aligned with our values.

What do you enjoy about your work? I get a lot of satisfaction when I see that our employees enjoy their job. It’s re-ally rewarding when the general contrac-tors send me a note saying my foreman did a great job. I get a lot of satisfaction out of that because that means the team worked. We put them in a position where they could succeed. The other thing I enjoy is when em-ployees want to grow professionally. When somebody says they want to take a class or they want to get into a certifica-tion, that’s incredibly encouraging be-cause that shows me that they’re think-ing about their career and taking the op-portunity to grow.

When you’re not working, what do you like to do for fun? I grew up playing tennis, and after school, I started playing golf, which I’ve enjoyed. My sons play golf, too. One is playing high school golf so I enjoy doing that with them. I prefer tennis. So it was fun for AT-MAC to provide the air and plumbing at SMU’s new indoor tennis facility, which we finished last year. That was pretty sat-isfying for me because I remember grow-ing up and playing on the SMU courts. It was great to be able to be a part of that project.

Tell me about your family. My wife Katie and I have three chil-dren – a 16-year-old son, Matthew, a 14-year-old daughter, Molly and an 11-year-old son, Barrett. We like to go to the mountains in Colorado together to ski during the sum-mer to enjoy the nice climate. I wouldn’t say I’m a good skier, but we do it every year! We enjoy the outdoors; my wife is

ATMAC Mechanical LLP’s Jeff McBrayer

from a family that enjoys the outdoors, and we wanted to pass that on to our family. We go to West Texas during the hunting seasons and enjoy the wildlife.

Have your children expressed an in-terest in working in the business? Not yet. All of the kids have helped me here at the office doing age-appro-priate things. I am encouraging all of them to get a strong math background and I’ve encouraged my son to look at some sort of engineering if he wants to go that route. I get a kick out of telling my kids that I’m in the plumbing business after all of that accounting work. I haven’t been asked to come to career day yet at school, but I’m very happy with what I do!

What do you hope the future holds for you, both personally and profession-ally? I think that’s the fun part of life. When you’re raising children, at some point you’re not only supporting them, you’re trying to help them realize their goals and trying to be a good example through serving, through volunteering. Passing some of that on to them through our actions is how we see the future. The company will grow through each of us developing and mentoring each other. We have capable people that we trust and we have been able to give them appropriate experiences. That’s why, for us to grow the way we’re going to grow, we’ll keep developing our peo-ple and give them opportunities to grow.

Do you think you will continue to fo-cus on ATMAC Mechanical, or will you eventually explore other options? I enjoy what we’re doing very much. If that changed and I didn’t enjoy it any-more, I might start to think about explor-ing other options. It took me a while to get here, but it fits. We all have the same goal in mind – to be of service. I see my-self here for a while.

Plano-based ATMAC Mechanical pro-vides plumbing and HVAC for new con-struction, renovation or retrofit, commer-cial service and emergency repairs. –mjm

www.constructionnews.net TexasStyle

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San Antonio Austin Dallas/Fort Worth Houston South Texas


First in the succession

Very NARI indeed!

The New Year has brought Joeris General Contractors to the first big step in its succession plan with

John Casstevens taking the helm as the company’s new president. With the company since the summer of 1995, Casstevens will channel his two decades of experience in project man-agement at Joeris into overseeing its 377 employees across three offices. Based in San Antonio, Joeris opened an office in Dallas-Fort Worth four years ago and one in Austin three years ago. “We’ve had a close-knit, strong ex-ecutive team managing our company for 15 years,” says Casstevens. “I’ve been a part of that, and I’m honored and hum-bled to be the one to step into this role. I could not have done it and I cannot con-tinue to do what I’m doing without their support.” Gary Joeris, son of founder Leo Jo-eris, will continue as the company’s CEO. As he and Stephen Walter, executive vice president, prepare for retirement on the distant horizon, Casstevens will con-tinue the succession process, eventually transitioning a new generation of long-term employees into leadership roles. Casstevens notes that his goals in-clude communicating the vision of the company and its goals to Joeris’ team members, being a leader who provides energy and enthusiasm towards pursu-ing those goals, and growing the com-pany’s people into future managers and leaders. After growing up in West Texas, Casstevens served in the Navy as a sur-face warfare officer on a ship based in San Diego. He worked for a general con-tractor in California for two years before

relocating to San Antonio to join Joeris. Before his rise to president on Dec. 1, 2015, he was COO. Outside of work, he has served in his church’s leadership for 20 years and is ac-tive with the Leukemia Lymphoma Soci-ety. He has also supported the Northside Education Foundation. Not only does Jo-eris do a lot of work for Northside, Casste-vens’ two daughters, now in college, at-tended school in the district. In Dallas-Fort Worth, Joeris has a strong relationship with Lewisville ISD, having completed some very challenging projects for the district over the past few years. Established in 1967, Joeris General Con-tractors is a commercial general contractor that specializes in the construction of K-12 and higher educational facilities, health-care facilities, churches, retail, research cen-ters, multi-story office buildings, restau-rants and hotels. –mh

John Casstevens, Joeris’ new president

Tax break now permanent

John McClelland, vice president of government affairs and chief econo-mist for the American Rental Associa-

tion, says the passage of the Section 179 deduction as a permanent tax deduction in December is great news. The deduction will make it more af-fordable for small companies to buy up to $500,000 per year in equipment, in-cluding machinery and vehicles. “Since 2003, ARA has been a strong advocate for expanding the Section 179 expensing limit – now set at $500,000,” McClelland says. “We’ve been strong pro-ponents of making the $500,000 limit permanent. We think it is something that small businesses can use and they are a huge agent for job creation.” Before the law passed, the dollar lim-it on Section 179 fluctuated, creating un-certainty for businesses that spend a large portion of their budgets on equip-ment, McClelland says. “An important piece of this is the per-manence,” he said. “We’ve had times where we didn’t know what the limit would be until towards the end of De-cember. Sometimes, the new limit set would be for the year just past, but not the year coming up. This law creates cer-tainty so we can rationally decide what our equipment purchases are going to be now and in the future.” Section 179 allows qualifying capital items to be written off immediately on a business’ taxes, instead of being depreci-ated over a number of years. The deduc-tion is essentially limited to small and midsize companies - those that spend less than $2 million a year on qualifying purchases. “This is important especially for rent-

al companies who have a large capital outlay and may still be a small company,” McClelland said. “Annual expenses of $1 million are not out of the ordinary. A very high percentage of our members would be eligible to use Section 179.” McClelland cautions, however, that every business owner must study his or her own situation before making a deci-sion to increase inventory based on Sec-tion 179. “Your tax situation is unique to you,” he says. “Before you implement any kind of acquisition program, talk to your tax professional and figure out what is best for you. “If you are in a mode where you really need to expand your fleet, taking advan-tage of these rules is an important part of your strategy and is certainly worth look-ing at.” –cw

John McClelland

Members and guests were invited to “Eat, Drink and Be NARI!” by the National Association of the

Remodeling Industry’s Greater Dallas chapter. The event, hosted Jan. 12 at Fer-guson Bath, Kitchen and Lighting Gal-lery’s Dallas showroom, was an opportu-nity for guests to learn about the associa-tion, meet NARI members, win a free iPad and other prizes, and kick off 2016 in style. –mjm

P.F. Smith Enterprises’ Pat Smith and USI Remodeling’s Chris Chumbley

FGM’s Laurie Reynolds, Ferguson’s Kristin Mitchell and FGM’s Paula Smith

Photo credit ©2016 Benjamin Stewart

ProSource Wholesale Floorcoverings’ Mike Phillips (far left) tells guests about NARI’s annual golf tournament.

L-R: Pedigo Construction Group’s Colin Pedigo, Livable Arrangements Inc.’s Lynda Longstreet-Hall and The Bath & Kitchen Showplace’s Colin Perkins learn more about NARI


Marking a milestoneSubmitted to Construction News

L-R: BakerTriangle CEO Steve Baker celebrated Executive Vice President Brad Baker’s 35th year at the company, accompanied by COO Debbie Brocker and Mark Streetman. Brad was honored on Jan. 6, exactly three-and-a-half decades from the day he began his

employment with the company. –mjm

L-R: Bartlett Cocke’s Scott Oates, Brad Ramsey and Brandon Patton address the crowds at the general contractor’s vendor outreach, hosted Jan. 13 at Fort Worth’s Wilkerson Greines Activity Center. More than 100 attendees came to learn about the Fort Worth

Independent School District 2013 CMAR Multiple Projects Bond Program. –mjm

Reaching outSubmitted to Construction News

Business is a game! Play to win!Part 2 of a 3 part seriesCarrie D. Bradshaw, C.P.A.Brown, Graham & Company P.C.Georgetown, TX

Know your cost: Variable versus fixed cost and how to utilize the break even analysis tool

In part one; we discussed the importance of knowing your score to be able to win the game. This included un-

derstanding the story your financial statements tell about your company through ra-tio analysis, industry benchmarking and internal trend analysis.

This month, we will discuss evaluat-ing your cost and how to use a break even analysis tool to gain a more thor-ough understanding of your company’s current position. Before we get into the five steps that make up this break-even analysis tool, there are a few definitions that we should review. • Break-Even: The point at which revenue exactly covers costs.• Variable Costs (VC): Costs that are in-curred only if a sale happens.• Fixed Costs (FC): Costs that are not di-rectly related to sales.• Contribution Margin (CM): The amount of revenue remaining after variable costs are paid.• Target Profit: The profit the owner plans to achieve for the year. As we stated above; engaging in the exercise of using this break-even analysis tools is a five-step process, which in-volves the following steps: Step one: Classify expenses into fixed or variable costs. In order to perform this step you will need a detailed income statement for your most recent annual financials. Identify each cost as fixed (FC) or variable (VC). This is not to be con-fused with the definition of direct costs, indirect costs or selling, or general and administrative costs used by the accoun-tants. If you incur the costs regardless of whether you have any sales, it is fixed (i.e. rent or telephone). If you incur the costs because you made a sale, it is variable (i.e. job materials or tools).Step two: Determine the variable cost percentage (VC%). Add up all of the cost you determined were variable and divide that number by your total sales. For ex-ample, if your variable costs are $75,000 and your sales are $100,000, your vari-able cost percentage is 75 percent. Step three: Determine the contribution margin (CM). The contribution margin is the amount of revenue from the sale re-maining after the variable costs are paid. In the previous example, the contribu-tion margin is $25,000. ($100,000-$75,000(VC)=$25,000(CM)). In other words, $25,000 remains to pay for fixed costs.

Step four: Calculate your total fixed costs. Return to the identification process your performed in step one, and add up all the costs you determined were fixed costs. Step five: Calculate your break-even. Be-gin with the calculation of fixed costs. Let’s assume the fixed costs in step four are $100,000. Next, using the contribu-tion margin calculated in step three (25%), calculate the needed sales. In or-der to pay for the $100,000 in fixed costs, your company would have to generate $400,000 in sales. ($100,000(FC)/25%(CM)=$400,000 sales)To look at this from a different perspec-tive, consider this equation: $400,000(sales) - $300,000(75%(VC%)) = $100,000(FC) This calculation is well and good, however none of us are in business to break-even. We are in business to win! Let’s determine how much revenue from sales you need to generate profit. In order to do this, we need to make the as-sumption that you can achieve the next level of sales with the same capacity, and therefore not needing to increase fixed cost. (We will discuss the evaluation of funding growth in the final installment of this series.) For the purpose of this exam-ple, let’s assume your target profit is $50,000. How much do sales need to go up to generate an additional profit of $50,000? Most of us would immediately answer $50,000. However, we need to re-member that for every dollar of sales we generate, we are also generating 75 cents in costs. In order to create $50,000 in prof-it we would need $200,000 in additional sales. ($200,000(sales) - $150,000(VC at 75VC%) = $50,000 profit.) By truly understanding the costs of your business, you can develop the strat-egy to coach your team to greater suc-cess! Carrie D. Bradshaw, CPA and CCIFP with over 20 years of construction contrac-tor coaching experience, is the Managing Shareholder of the Brown, Graham & Com-pany, P.C.’s Georgetown office. You can con-tact Carrie at [email protected] or call 512-930-4090.

Work on Hand Reports – a key tool for underwriting

Clark Fresher, IBTXSan Antonio, TX

Surety underwriters carefully review work on hand reports for several im-

portant reasons: 1. Backlog- Most contractors have bond lines which require that the agent know what the aggregate backlog is be-ing carried by the contractor. The term "backlog" refers to "estimated cost to complete". Any new bids must fit into this aggregate backlog maximum.

2. Profit Fade- Since an important feature of contractor accounting is the percentage of completion method for in-come calculations, the jobs in progress are estimates of what the project will earn at completion. This is necessarily an uncertain way to calculate the financial health of an income statement, but it's the best we have. Surety companies use the work on hand reports, both at year-end and interim periods, to see how well estimated profits are holding up versus the original estimates. Clearly, a contractor showing signifi-cant and widespread profit fade will ex-perience a net loss and will face ques-tions from the surety. All contractors will experience profit fade on various jobs from time to time and this would not be a cause for alarm as long as it is not a habit. Contractor's inability to maintain esti-mated profits on projects as they pro-ceed is a serious concern for all surety underwriters.

3. Closed Jobs- Comparing final gross profit on a completed job to the original estimated gross profit sheds light on just how effective is the jobsite supervision and project management functions of the contractor. The closed job schedule can also be used to close bonded jobs and generate the bond dividend, if one is available.

Finally, one quick word of warning with regards to change orders. It is not unusual, though not ideal, that work will begin on a change order before the ac-tual signed change order is generated and received by the contractor. The prob-lem here is that the costs incurred in completing the change order will appear on the work on hand report but, con-versely, the increase in contract price and resulting revenue will not be picked up on the report until the order is signed and received by the contractor. It's pretty clear that the results of this process will negatively impact that report specifically and the financials in general.

Clark Fresher joined the IBTX team twelve years ago. He currently has more than 35 years of insurance experience and came to IBTX from Guarantee Insurance Services. Clark’s areas of expertise include Surety, Property and Casualty and Risk Management Services Plans. Contact us at 800-880-6689 or visit us at www.ib-tx.com for more information or to setup your poli-cy today.

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Guidance on safe ropesling use

Joann NatarajanCompliance Assistance SpecialistOSHAAustin, TX

Natural and synthetic fiber rope slings are used primarily for temporary

work, such as construction and painting jobs, and in marine operations. Designate a qualified person to in-spect slings and all fastenings and at-tachments each day before use for dam-age or defects. Make periodic inspec-tions of natural and synthetic fiber rope slings at intervals no greater than 12 months.Make a thorough inspection of slings and

attachments. Items to look for include: • Missing or illegible sling identifica-tions, • Cuts, gouges, areas of extensive fiber breakage along the length and abraded areas on the rope, • Damage of 10 percent or more of the ropes diameter, • Uniform fiber breakage along the major part of the length of the rope in the sling such that the entire rope appears covered with fuzz or whiskers, • Fiber breakage or melted fiber inside the rope that appears along the length at the same relative position and involves damage estimated at 10 percent of the fiber in the strand at that point, • Discoloration and brittle or stiff areas on any part of the sling, Excessive dirt and grit in the interior of the rope structure, • Foreign matter that has permeated the rope and attracts and holds grit, • Kinks, distortion, or other damage in the rope structure, • Melted or charred areas that affect

more than 10 percent of the diameter of the rope or affect several adjacent strands along the length to more than 10 percent of their individual diameters. • Poor condition of thimbles or other fittings manifested by corrosion, cracks, distortion, or localized wear, and • Other conditions that cause doubt as to continued use of the sling. Where any such defect or deteriora-tion is present, remove the sling or at-tachment from service immediately. Do not use worn or damaged slings or attachments. Do not use repaired or reconditioned fiber rope slings. Do not use old or used rope to make up a fiber rope sling. Modifications or alterations to end attachments or fittings are consid-ered a repair. Do not allow natural and synthetic fiber rope slings to be used in contact with objects or at temperatures in excess of 194 degrees F (90 degrees C), or below minus 40 degrees F (minus 40 degrees C). Some synthetic yarns do not retain their breaking strength during long-term exposure above 140 degrees (60 degrees C). Long-term exposure to sunlight or ultraviolet radiation can affect the strength of natural, nylon and polyester rope slings. Consult the sling manufac-turer for proper retirement criteria for ny-lon and polyester ropes subjected to long-term storage or use in sunlight, long term heat exposure, or chemical environ-ments.

[email protected] x232

Ruan employee John Plowman, who has been a driver for 20 years and a construction materials delivery driver for 10 of those, prepares to make a brick delivery. –mjm

Follow the fellow’s brick loadConstruction News ON LOCATION

Knowing the difference between an invalid and a fraudulent lien

Tina Snelling, Of CounselThe Cromeens Law FirmHouston, TX

If you have performed work on a construction project, and filed a lien on the property, you could find your-

self facing penalties as well as criminal charges. Texas has specific laws governing the filing of fraudulent liens and the refusal to release a fraudulent lien.

There is a difference between an in-valid, as opposed to a fraudulent, lien. Texas law entitles the person to claim a lien against an owner’s property to se-cure a debt. However, the steps to “per-fect” a lien can be complex, if not out-right costly. Failure to comply can oper-ate to render the lien invalid. Five rele-vant examples of an invalid lien are: (1) failing to provide notice of the claim to the owner or original contractor, (2) the filing of a faulty affidavit, (3) failing to give notice of the filed affidavit to the owner or original contractor, (4) the filing of a lien after expired deadlines, (5) the filing of a lien on homestead property. If an invalid lien is filed and the owner proves it in court, a lien claimant can be ordered to pay court costs and attorneys’ fees. However, there is a difference be-tween an invalid lien and a fraudulent lien. If an owner proves the lien claimant knew when he filed his lien that it was in-valid, the claimant could be subject to further penalties under the Fraudulent Lien Act. The Fraudulent Lien Act, found in Chapter 12 of the Texas Civil Practices and Remedies Code, provides that a per-son may not make, present, or use a doc-ument or other record with: 1. Knowledge that the document is a fraudulent; 2. intent that the fraudulent docu-ment be given the same legal effect as a valid document; 3. intent to cause another cause an-other financial injury, physical injury or mental anguish; and 4. intent to defraud.

Under section 12.002(b) of the Act, when a person files a fraudulent lien, the in-jured party can receive: (1) the greater of $10,000.00 or actual damages; (2) court costs; (3) attorney’s fees; and (4) exem-plary damages. Moreover, there is the potential for criminal sanctions for failing or refusing to promptly remove a known fraudulent lien. The offense is a Class A misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $4,000, and incarceration for a period up to one

year, or both. One case which addresses the ele-ments of knowledge the lien is fraudu-lent and of the intent to cause financial injury is Taylor Electrical Services, Inc. v. Armstrong Electrical Supply Co., 167 S.W.3d 522 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth, 2005, no pet.), which involved work done for the same owner on two different churches. Subcontractor, Taylor, claimed material supplier, Armstrong, falsely promised and failed to deliver materials on a guar-anteed date, which caused Taylor to fall behind schedule. Taylor paid Armstrong $7,732.99 but withheld $6,110 due to Armstrong’s delay. Armstrong held Tay-lor’s check and filed a mechanic’s lien on the properties. Then, after filing the sworn lien for the sum for the full balance owed, Armstrong cashed the check. Armstrong’s lien was challenged and, at trial, the jury was asked if it found that Armstrong presented a document to the county clerk with knowledge it would create a fraudulent lien or claim against the property with the intent that the document be treated as a valid lien against the property. The jury answered “yes” and the court found sufficient evi-dence of a fraudulent lien because Arm-strong failed to credit the sworn-to lien amount by the amount of the later cashed check. Additionally, the evidence revealed Armstrong was previously warned to make timely deliveries be-cause of Taylor’s potential financial losses of falling behind schedule and that Arm-strong’s notice of lien notice letter stated “[w]e do not wish you any harm in your business.” The court found this evidence sufficient to establish the element of in-tent to cause harm. In sum, there is a difference between an invalid lien and a fraudulent lien. If you are unsure of the validity of a lien you filed or wish to file, it is advisable to consult with counsel experienced in me-chanic’s and materialmen’s’ lien law.

For more information on our services, please visit www.thecromeenslawfirm.com or call (713) 715-7334.

As cold winds continue to whip through the Metroplex, more than 50 families this year will stay warm,

thanks to “The Gift of Glass.” The annual event, which is now in its 28th year, teams up the Texas Glass Association’s North Texas Division (TGA-NTD) with the Dallas People Helping People Association, which identifies local homes with sub-standard windows that need to be re-paired. Beginning every fall, TGA-NTD members travel to various houses, deter-mine what materials are needed, and re-pair the windows to keep residents warmer. “It’s all volunteer work from local Me-troplex area glass people that donate crews and their time,” Universal Glass Company’s Don Haerer, TGA-NTD presi-dent, says. “We have a number of great sponsors that donate materials, glass and caulking. This is a way to give back to the community and help people that would otherwise be cold.” –mjm

A glass act

Above and below: TGA-NTD members repair windows of homes in need.


McCarthy names new president

McCarthy Building Companies Inc. announced that Ray Sedey has assumed the position of

president of the company’s Texas region. Sedey moved into this new role after a transition period last fall with former Mc-Carthy president Michael McWay, who retired Dec. 31, 2015. Prior to his appointment, Sedey served as executive vice-president, over-seeing company operations in Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico. He began his career with the company as a project en-gineer in 2000 and eventually served in all aspects of project management in-cluding project superintendent, manag-er, director, executive and vice president. He has managed nearly $700 million in construction projects and was instru-mental in evolving McCarthy’s presence in Nevada and New Mexico and recently spearheaded the opening of McCarthy’s newest office in Denver. In addition to his experience with McCarthy, Sedey has been actively in-volved in a variety of professional organi-zations and received an Engineering News-Record Southwest “20 under 40

Award,” among others. He holds a Bach-elor of Science degree in Construction Engineering from Montana State Univer-sity. –mjm

Architect Pat Yates Spillman, FAIA, 91, passed away on Jan. 11, 2016. Spillman was born Nov. 20, 1924

in Cedar Hill, raised in Lancaster and briefly attended Baylor University. He joined the U.S. Army Air Force, serving in combat duty as a Lead Bombardier in the 92nd Bomb Group of the U.S. Eighth Air Force based in England. Upon his return from World War II, he studied architec-ture and graduated from Texas A&M in 1949 and Harvard University in 1951. He continued his architecture studies at Yale University in 1952 and as a Fulbright Scholar in Italy in 1953. In 1959, he established an architec-ture practice in Dallas and in 1962, co-founded with J. Herschel Fisher Dallas-based F&S Partners Architects. He served as chief executive officer until his retirement in 1993. Spillman acted as principal architect on many notable projects, including Dal-las’ J. Erik Jonsson Library, the Salvation Army Social Services Center and major buildings on medical campuses. He was a fellow of the American Institute of Archi-tects, an AIA National Board of Directors member and vice-president of the Texas Society of Architects.

In memoriam

A memorial service was held Jan. 15 at Highland Park United Methodist Church. He is survived by his wife, Mary Louise, daughter Ann Spillman, daughter Jane Spillman Wansley, son Pat Spillman Jr. and their families. –mjm

The crew of McKinney-based commercial/industrial HVAC company ACIS is all smiles over their part in the renovation of Dallas’ historical Butler Brothers Building. The mixed-use hotel/

residential/retail project is overseen by Alterra International. –mjm

History in the makingConstruction News JOB SIGHT

A predilection for prediction

Want to know what the year holds for the design and construction industry, both for the country

and for North Texas? Nearly 150 mem-bers of the American Institute of Archi-tects’ (AIA) Dallas chapter and TEXO did, with one of the largest groups to date at-tending the 2016 AIA/TEXO Economic Outlook Forum. Kermit Baker, chief economist for the AIA in Washington D.C. and Sage Pol-icy Group Inc. Chairman and CEO Anir-ban Basu offered their 2016 construction predictions at the forum, hosted Jan. 14

L-R: Kermit Baker, Anirban Basu and Marek’s John Hinson

at Noah’s Event Venue in Irving. –mjm

Nearly 150 members attended the event.

A reception was held after the event.


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

Hey there, buck-arooSubmitted to Construction News

Ty Schuessler, 14-year-old son of Site Barricades owner Jeff Schuessler, recently scored an 11-point buck in Comanche County. –mjm

Expect theunexpected!!

by 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 MirrOlure, and Columbia Sportswear.

I can’t believe that I am saying this, but I’m glad to see deer season come to a

close. It’s been a busy couple of months on the road from South Texas to West Texas and back with a few spots in be-tween. Lots of memories made through-out the way with friends, clients and of course my two boys. Both of my boys killed awesome management bucks this year and I must say they are becoming great outdoorsmen. I can’t wait to get

Capt. Steve Schultz holds up his 44in. redfish caught in Baffin Bay on a gamblerflappin shad last month. Fish was released after photo by Malek Afram.

them back on the water this spring and summer for some saltwater action. February starts one of the most challenging times of the year to be on the water. Weather can be so unpredict-able it is very hard to plan outings in ad-vance. It’s one of those times of the year that you literally have to be ready to go on a moments notice, or perhaps already be here when the weather allows you to fish. That was the case last month when I visited Modern Pawn and Guns Shop and my good friends Malek and Mark

Afram, which by the way run one of the best guns shops in South Texas. I got to talking about fishing and how I haven’t been in several months because of guid-ing hunts all winter and how I had the urge to wet a line. Unfortunately I was boatless at the time after selling mine, and the new one still not rigged. They also were having some withdrawals after a long holiday season, working long hours at the shop and happen to men-tion that their boat was ready to go. I checked our schedules and glanced at

the upcoming weather and a plan was quickly established. Our day started with a cold north breeze and temperatures in the low 50s, but we knew clear skies would warm us up quickly. After a short ride to Baffin Bay, we eased over the side on the Majek Illusion and began our wade. Fishing was rather slow at the start but we managed to string several specks in the first half hour. After a brief lull in the action I set the hook on what I thought was a trophy trout that about ripped the rod out of my cold hands. After realizing that I had a redfish instead of the trophy trout we were seeking, the excitement went away until the fish emerged in front of me. OMG I shouted, It’s a huge red. Granted I have caught many big redfish before, (up to 48 in.) but all out of the boat. This was by far the largest red I have caught wade fishing. The redfish measured over 44 in. and weighed over 40 lbs. and after a short photo session it was revived and re-leased back into it’s environment. Whether you’re fishing for trophy trout, or just wanting to catch a few fish for dinner or the freezer, always expect the unexpected. You never know what’s going to be on the end of that line. I have already started to fill the cal-endar for the upcoming 2016 season. Don’t wait till 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 SteveSchultzOutdoors @ gmail .com. Good luck and Good Fishing.

Ross Ryon (pictured), owner of Epic Supply in Dallas, is getting some great use out of the Epic Supply/AB&I Foundry cast iron boat, which proudly displays both companies’ logos.

He and his son Cole Ryon, also of Epic Supply, most recently used it at a fishing tournament hosted Jan. 9 by North Texas Bass Anglers Club at Lake Welsh near Pittsburg, TX. –mjm

Rocking the boatSubmitted to Construction News


Half or Full Day Fishing Trips

All Bait, Tackle & EquipmentFurnished

Your catch Filleted andBagged for You

Furnish your TPWD FishingLicense & Refreshments,

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

www.striperfever.com

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

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

Have an outdoor photo or storyyou’d like to share?

Send to:[email protected]

or call Melissa at 817.731.4823

C’mon Spring!

Lakebed Oct. 2015

Same lakebed after the lake came back up

I know, spring hasn’t sprung yet but I can feel it coming and I’m just all kinds of excited about it!

This will be the first time in five years we have had water in our part of Lake Buchanan! Yes, Buchanan has been low before and came back up before; this certainly isn’t my first rodeo on the back of that nasty bronc. What makes this time special is that our water was gone so long this time. Years of no flooding rains covering up the Colorado River bottom land that our grandfathers once farmed and Native Americans once roamed had begun the process of erasing the fact that a lake had ever been here. The river itself had wavered itself all over the mud flat and chosen a course again and tall willow, cottonwood and sycamore trees had established themselves on the new river banks. Now the flooding of last summer and fall that caused so much hurt and damage for some finally spilled enough water upstream to restore our river and lake to normal levels and return life to our part of the watershed. Everyone up here from the parched ranchers to the anemic tourism industry is breathing a sigh of relief. Even though our rains seem to have already stopped for now, we remain hopeful for more. The exciting part for a fisherman on Lake Buchanan and on Lake Travis too, I expect we have vegetation now covered by water like we have never

seen before. Even when the lakes were brand new and flooded for the first time there was a whole lot of farm land, little settlements and homesteads that were covered up. Even the wilder parts of the new lake bottom had been put to the ax to clear the way for the lakes. They downed everything from scrub cedar to gigantic oaks and pecan trees while the dams were being built. This time the no man’s land that the lake bottom became was allowed to grow in its own wild way. In addition to the impenetrable willow thickets were all kinds of wild scrub brush and wildflowers growing so thick in the rich silt, it often was taller than a man’s head and so thick and tangled that you couldn’t walk through it. Now imagine what a bunch of fish could do with that! As that vegetation decays and enriches the water the whole food chain on the lakes and river from alga on up to shad and all the game fish that feed on them thrive. Plenty to eat and a chance to get back to all the old spawning places mean that there will be all kinds of little fish with plenty of cover to hide and feed and grow. The most exciting part is the larger fish that have been able to grow during the drought because they haven’t been fished and caught as heavily are experiencing good growth and are looking for their next meal. I plan on being there looking for those guys! We are even going to be booking some catfish charters too this year in addition to stripers and hybrids. Spring Break is coming, so grab a kid and your fishing hat and let’s go!


It ain’t their first rodeo!

Construction companies came to Cowtown to show off their “stock” to visitors attending the 120th Fort

Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. Held Jan. 15 through Feb. 6 at the Will Rogers Memo-rial Center, the event featured exhibitors including Ag-Power Inc., Bath Planet, Bobcat of Fort Worth, Holt CAT, Land-mark Equipment, Mueller Inc., Swinger Gate Co., J&M Glass Co./Thermal Win-dows, Whiz-Q Stone and Zimmerer Kubota & Equipment Inc. –mjm

Ag-Power Inc. Zimmerer Kubota & Equipment Inc. Bobcat of Fort Worth

Holt CATLandmark Equipment

J&M Glass Co./Thermal Windows

Whiz-Q StoneSwinger Gate Co.Bath PlanetMueller Inc.


Texas just got greener

The U.S. Green Building Council (US-GBC) strives toward efficiency and sustainability for buildings and their

construction, and now the 501c3 has re-structured to become more efficient and sustainable in the State of Texas. As of Jan. 1, all of Texas’ previous US-GBC chapters were consolidated into the USGBC Texas Chapter with five regional councils to continue representation and association activity across the Lone Star State. The five regions are Gulf Coast, based in Houston; South Texas, based in San Antonio; Central Texas, based in Aus-tin; West Texas, based in El Paso; and North Texas, based in Dallas, the new statewide chapter’s headquarters. “The biggest point of our restructur-ing here in Texas is being able to be a more efficient and effective organization,” says Jonathan Kraatz, the Texas Chapter execu-tive director, who is based in Dallas. “It al-lows us the opportunity to centralize our administrative costs and our administra-

USGBC’s Texas Merger Taskforce L-R: Joe Riccillo, Sundt Construction, El Paso; David Matiella, UTSA, San Antonio; Pam Carpenter, 7th Generation Design, San Antonio; Brad Garner, W2

Real Estate Partners, Austin; Sergio Grado, Mitsubishi, The Woodlands; Jane Baxter-Lynn, JBL Strategies, Austin; Tim Murray, EYP Architects & Engineers, Houston; David MacLean, Sebesta,

Houston; Michelle McEuen, USGBC chapter staff, Dallas; Eloisa Portillo-Morales, City of San Antonio; Heather Holdridge, Lake Flato Architects, San Antonio; Keith Lindemulder, Nucor, Denton; Brian Uhlrich, DBR, San Antonio; Kirk Johnson, Corgan, Dallas; Thom Powell, GFF,

Dallas; Jonathan Kraatz, USGBC Texas executive director; Scott Gerhardt, Interceramic, Austin

Map of the new USGBC Texas Regions

tive duties and really gets our volunteers back to working in their communities as their primary focus instead of on adminis-tration of the organization.” A LEED Green Associate, Kraatz had been on staff with the USGBC North Texas Chapter since 2010, previously serving as executive director of North Texas before taking on the role of the first executive di-rector of USGBC Texas. He notes that he will be visiting as well as video conferenc-ing regularly with the regional councils. Under the new structure, one of the biggest changes is San Antonio and Aus-tin being separated into their own re-gions. Previously, they were both covered under a single office, the Central Texas-Balcones Chapter. Individual chapter memberships were automatically transferred over to USGBC Texas, and annual membership renewal will continue to be on the anni-versary of joining date. –mh

Billy Simmons, driver at H&H Concrete on Demand in Keller, braves the chill as he prepares to deliver concrete to a Fort Worth parking lot site. –mjm

Cold ‘creteConstruction News ON LOCATION


What is yourfavorite dessert?

(972) 202-5000www.southernfastening.com

®

DFW 972-202-5000 Houston 713-688-3781 Austin 512-248-9005San Antonio 210-481-1313 Valley 956-682-0402

Blue ribbon building

On Jan. 5, the new Tower Promenade and renovated Cattle Barn 2 with Milking Parlor was unveiled at the Will Rogers Memorial Center, kicking off the 120th Exhibition of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. SEDALCO Construction

Services served as general contractor and Hahnfeld Hoffer Stanford provided design services. –mjm

My favorite dessert is pretty much any-thing in the baked goods category that is made by someone other than me.

Tami LaGrone, Cutler-Smith PC

My favorite dessert is my mother’s sweet potato pie. I won’t eat anybody else’s sweet potato pie! She makes it for the holidays.

R. Lamar Brooks,Alpha & OmegaProfessional Services Group

My favorite dessert is vanilla ice cream and a brownie. It’s what my grandfather and I used to eat when I was growing up.

Eric Spaeth, Brandt

I love German chocolate cake. My wife makes it the best. We spent five years in Germany, so she’s really good at it. I get pecan pie on my birthday. She makes the best pecan pie too.

Bob Hazen, Balfour Beatty

My favorite dessert has to be chocolate mousse cheesecake from The Cheese-cake Factory. Not healthy whatsoever, but you get the nicks in the whipped cream, and you get the chocolate flavor so that whoever wants chocolate is satis-fied, but it’s cheesecake at the same time. It’s the best of both worlds. Actually, I may have to go pick that up tonight now that I’m reminded how much I enjoy it.

David Fultz, TDIndustries

I’m not much of a dessert eater, but if I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it big. I like tiramisu. Taverna on Knox [Street in Dal-las] makes the best tiramisu. I have it any time I go there, which is probably on a special occasion; it’s really, really good.

Mindy Frink, Prism Electric

I am a big crème brulee fan. I love crème brulee, I’ve always loved it. I’m not a big “sweets” person, but crème brulee tends to be a little bit mild and I love the crunchies on top. Truluck’s has a great crème brulee. I have it maybe once a year, definitely on special occasions.

Caroline Berry,Spring Valley Construction Company

My favorite dessert is red velvet cake. My mother used to make it the best. It was always my birthday cake.

Don Haerer, Universal Glass Company

My favorite dessert is chocolate me-ringue pie. Carshon’s Deli in Fort Worth has the best, and they only serve it on certain days. We always try to order one for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Michael Franklin, Ramon Franklin

My favorite dessert is cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. I like it with strawberries. I order it every time I go.

Richard Weber, Holt CAT

My favorite dessert would have to be key lime pie. I tried a different key lime pie ev-ery night for six nights in a row once on a trip British Virgin Islands. I also love just about anything with Ghirardelli’s choco-late in it.

Mark A. Stewart, HDR

Cheesecake is my favorite dessert. A guy here at the office, Charlie Crawford, makes one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever had. He brings it when we hold pot-lucks.

Luis Reyes, C1S Group Inc.

Michael Ward of D&H United Fueling Solutions Inc. in Arlington welcomes industry guests to a presentation about EMV technology. –mjm

General contractor J. Wales Construction joined honored guests in shoving golden shovels into the future site of a Residence Inn by Marriott. With 117 room suites, 1,400sf of flexible meeting space and a 2,700-sf lobby with food service, complete bar, exercise

room and pool, it will be Fairview, TX’s first hotel. –mjm

Shoveling it InnSubmitted to Construction News

Fueling the discussionSubmitted to Construction News


Building support

Children’s Audra Cozart andBalfour Beatty’s Bob Hazen

L-R: Spring Valley Construction Company’s Brent Archer and Caroline Berry and TEXO’s

Michael Beal

Construction industry members serve as KIDstruction chairpersons.

Children’s Audra Cozart explains how construction companies are participating in KIDstruction.

L-R: Prism Electric Inc.’s Mindy Frink and TEXO’s Meloni McDaniel

HDR’s Mark Stewart AIA discusses his experience as a father of a former Children’s

oncology patient.

One dollar per hour for one week in March. North Texas architectural, engineering and construction

companies have committed to build a better future for children, starting today. One hundred percent of funds raised will support programs at Children’s Medical Center such as pet and music therapy, translation services and meals for fami-lies during their child’s hospital stay.

Construction industry members gath-ered at Dallas’ Whole Foods Market on Jan. 21 to learn about “KIDstruction Week 2016” and how sponsors like Skanska, HDR, WHR Architects, Datum Engineers, McCarthy Building Company, Spring Valley Construction Company, Walter P Moore, TDIndustries and TEXO are par-ticipating. –mjm

Additional photos provided by Juan Pulido, Children’s Health System of Texas


Construction Safety

Risk: Identify it and reduce it

David P. Consider, CSPDirector – Safety & FacilitiesBriggs EquipmentDallas, TX

What are the major risks in con-struction?

Construction sites are a health and safety nightmare, as almost every con-ceivable hazard exists within this con-stantly changing work environment. So, I will answer this question two ways:

1: The top four causes of construction fa-talities are falls, struck-by, caught-in/be-tween and electrocutions.

2: The main hazards encountered on a typical construction site are working at heights; moving objects; slips, trips and falls; noise; hand/arm vibration; material and manual handling; trench collapse; asbestos; airborne fibers and materials; and electricity.

What are ways to reduce risk? Ways to identify and reduce risk are

through “JHA’s” (job hazard analysis), regular inspections and training.

How important is a good safety record in the construction industry? The construction industry has, in ad-dition to the moral commitment, an eco-nomic incentive to help reduce the num-ber of accidents that occur on construc-tion projects. The high cost of accidents gives owners and operators of construc-tion companies a good reason to concern themselves with the safety efforts of the contractors they hire and ensure they have a record of good safety perfor-mance. This requires attention during the processes of qualifying contractors for bidding work and selecting contractors for a contract award. A prospective con-tractor with a history of good safety per-formance is more likely to perform safely in the future than a contractor with a

poor, or less-than-average, safety record. Several relatively objective measures of past safety performance are available, notably the “EMR” (experience modifica-tion rate) which is applied to workers’ compensation premiums, and OSHA re-cordable injury and illness incidence rates. Both may be obtained from con-tractors. Both indicate a contractor’s ac-cident experience on past work.

How does construction safety impact your company? We are impacted by the construction industry by the equipment we sell, rent and supply parts for, and ensuring it is in-spected on a regular basis, functioning properly by performing OM (operational maintenance), and the people operating this equipment are trained.

Does an increase in volume of con-struction affect safety? Absolutely. Any time there is an in-crease in equipment, miles driven, peo-ple and man-hours worked, there is al-ways an increase in risk and exposure.

What can be done to increase safety awareness and create a safe work en-vironment? Hire competent workers; insist on safety in the workplace by practicing what you preach (“walk the talk”); post signs; give workers the tools and resourc-es they need to be safe; continuously find ways to improve; keep a clean house; provide maintenance on all machines and equipment; reward safety and train – and then do more training. Briggs Equipment is a materials han-dling equipment provider, offering short-term rentals, parts sales, service equipment, new and used premier materials handling equipment sales and fleet management strategies. In addition to locations through-out seven other southern states, Briggs Equipment offers Texas locations in Abilene, Austin, Beaumont, Brownsville, College Sta-tion, Corpus Christi, Dallas, Freeport, Hous-ton, Laredo, McAllen/Pharr and San Anto-nio. –mjm

Keepers of their brothers and sisters

Mike Gunter, Vice President of SafetyYates ConstructionSan Antonio, TX

In 2014, Yates Construction began for-malizing its safety processes and pro-

grams. Unsatisfied with an incident rate of .41 – which Mike Gunter, vice president of safety, notes is many times below the national average – Yates implemented fully documented processes through three programs that reduced that rate to .27 by early 2015. “By design, safety is Yates Construc-tion’s number one core value and an inte-gral part of our day-to-day operations,” explains Randy Powell, senior vice presi-dent of the Texas Division. “This culture of safety has been recognized many times, most recently as one of only nine recipi-ents in the country to be selected for the prestigious 2015 ABC National Safety Pin-nacle Award as a result of our continued commitment to jobsite safety, exemplary safety performance and programs.” The construction safety culture that earned Yates this honor is comprised of the Blue Vest Monitoring, Family Pledge and Brother’s Keeper (and Sister’s Keep-er) programs. All of the above focus on behavior rather than punitive action.

Randy Powell, Senior Vice President -Texas DivisionYates ConstructionSan Antonio, TX

While punitive action is sometimes nec-essary, Yates uses it as a last resort. Preferring to focus on areas of higher risk, Yates has found that the company needs to spend the majority of its time and safety education on new employees. The Blue Vest Monitoring Program is aimed at acclimating new people to Yates’ safety culture, specifically those with less than one year at Yates, and more so, those with the company for less than six months. One key step to emphasizing and encouraging safety on the job is to make sure new hires are identifiable on the job site. As the name of the program sug-gests, Yates’ new employees wear a blue vest on site. If a client asks that all crew-members wear the standard yellow vests, then Yates will use a different identifier for the new hires, such as colored stripes on their hard hats. When the employees are on the job, they see a new hire in the blue vest and know that they need to be their brother’s (or sister’s) keeper and pay special atten-tion to that person. New employees also

go through an additional orientation that addresses new hires, expectations of them and the Blue Vest Monitoring Program. After a couple of weeks, as the new employee becomes acclimated to Yates’ policies on safety and health, the superin-tendent can take them in to re-test them on their grasp of this culture. This is also reinforced by a second orientation. After several months, the supervisor can allow the employee to attempt to test out of the blue vest. If they are still struggling with their grasp on the procedures, the employee will continue to wear their blue vest or stripe. Additionally, Yates has what it calls a safety task assessment process. “The safety task assessment process is a document that’s filled out in real time before work to address the known antici-pated risk of the job that the employees are going to be performing for the day,” explains Mike Gunter, vice president of safety. “It’s also opened up for the em-ployees to ask questions or to provide input. In addition to identifying those potential at-risk situations that may be encountered, the supervisor also offers up the ways that we will manage or miti-gate those anticipated risks. Meaning that we all get on the same page before we begin work in the mornings. We know what our expectations are. We know what we anticipate as a risk. We identify how we’re going to be able to either mit-igate it or through another means man-age it, and the employees then sign off, stating that they understand that. “To make sure of that, we assign a mentor to each new hire employee on that safety task assessment process so that during the day, if any one of the new hires has a question, they can go to Mary, their supervisor, and say, ‘I know we talk-ed about this this morning, but I’m not really clear, and I want to make sure I do this right.’ So, they’re allowed to freely ask questions and allow us to coach them through the process.” Another program is Brother’s Keep-er, which also has a version for the ladies, Sister’s Keeper. In this program, employ-ees commit to be their brother’s keeper.

This means that if they see any employee, new or not, in the field doing something they consider at-risk, those employees are willing to intervene, identify the po-tential risk, and work with the employee to find a safer way to do it. Part of this commitment includes the employees’ willingness to accept comments about making their job safer. Yates gives pro-gram-themed T-shirts to those that com-mit to this program. While fellow employees try to look out for each other and make sure every-one goes home to their family after a safe workday, the Family Pledge Program ex-tends the promise to be safe to the family at home. Yates asks employees to volun-tarily commit in a one-page document to work safely every day so that they can go home to their spouses, significant others, children or parents and other loved ones. Then, the employees take the pledge home for their family and loved ones to sign as a commitment to ask them every day if they worked safely that day. This also gives the people at home ideas about what to ask, such as “Did you wear your hard hat and your safety glasses?” and helps them keep the employee ac-countable and responsible for working safely. Yates sends themed T-shirts to the employees and each family member at home for this program as well. All of these safety measures led to the .14 decrease in the company’s inci-dent rate, as Gunter points out, “There was a marked improvement to year end-ing ’15. We were significantly lower on our number of near hits. That’s an event that’s occurred where there could have been property damage or personal inju-ry but there was not. We saw our inci-dents with injury drop. And on our lost time rate, we’ve always been right at or around zero.” Celebrating its 52nd anniversary, Yates Construction is a commercial general con-tractor with offices in San Antonio, Houston and Fort Worth. Based in Mississippi, the com-pany also has locations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Mexico. –mh


Construction Safety

A safety mindset

Terry Buza, Director of HSESlack & Co. Contracting Inc.Houston, TX

What kind of safety training do Slack & Co. Contracting employees partici-pate in during the year? We are proactive about safety train-ing. Every employee that works for Slack & Co. receives the OSHA 10-hour training and every foreman and above receives the OSHA 30-hour training. Our foremen and lead men also get excavation, confined space and first aid/CPR training. Our equipment operators receive hands-on training. Additionally, each of our crews includes a minimum of two people who have completed an 8-hour rigging class that focuses on safe-ly placing utilities in the ground. We utilize a third party safety consult-ing company to assist us with our training and to conduct jobsite audits for us.

What can be done to increase safety awareness? We conduct our training classes in both English and Spanish, and give our employees visual aids to reinforce key messages. This is important since a high percentage of Slack & Co employees are Hispanic. We hold off-site safety meetings four times a year that all employees (field and office) are required to attend. These meetings are designed to increase awareness of how easily incidents can occur and how to avoid them. Every one of our employees has the responsibility and authority to halt work when they feel unsafe conditions exist. Our goal is to create a mindset where-by everyone incorporates safety into his or her work. It’s a constant process.

What are the major risks in construc-tion? Workers can fall or be electrocuted. They can also get caught between or struck by equipment. Since multiple trades work simulta-neously on one jobsite, we teach our people to constantly lookout for other contractors’ people, equipment and ma-terials. How important is a good safety record in the construction industry? A good safety record is very impor-tant. The GC’s we work with expect us to maintain an excellent safety record. They cannot afford to have unsafe people or work conditions on their jobs.

What is the most significant challenge the safety industry faces? One of the challenges we face is the increased number of unskilled workers on a jobsite. Often they are not familiar with the safety risks that exist on a jobsite, or the situations that require extra caution to avoid an incident. To address this, all our new employees must attend a New Hire Safety orientation before they can go to the field. The language barrier is another chal-lenge, since everyone on a jobsite must be able to communicate with others

when an unsafe condition occurs.

What is rewarding about your job? I sell safety every day and I love it. Years ago when I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life, a mentor intro-duced me to the safety industry. And thanks to him, I found my niche and I have been doing this for 27 years now.

What is on the horizon for construc-tion safety? The construction industry is headed towards more stringent safety require-ment than ever before. Owners and developers are more safety conscious. And, OSHA regulations are becoming stricter. Companies with excellent safety re-cords will be rewarded with more work opportunities. That means, if we want to be the contractor of choice, we will be the saf-est. Slack & Co Contracting is a prime and specialty contractor on public and private projects. The company works in densely populated, tightly confined areas like the Texas Medical Center, the Galleria and downtown Houston, as well as in the mid-dle of wide-open fields. The majority of the company’s work is performed in the south and east regions of Texas. –ab

Effective safety training strategies

Anna Pelletier, CSMNational Association of Safety,Board member, Shelby, NCLiberty Construction, Boston, MA

Within the construction industry, shout-outs like “be safe,” “safety

first,” “zero tolerance” and so on are ever plentiful. Marketing endeavors to share the message include catchy phrases, slo-gans, stickers, and gifts to reward, pro-mote and highlight any and all safety-success moments. While there is merit to spreading the news, it is equally impor-tant to ensure that, along with a cam-paign, education is a key component in promoting safe practices. Such educa-tion can stem from in-house training programs and on-site refresher courses conducted by safety managers, or by outsourcing with consultants for obser-vation, analysis, and recommendations. Recent statistics reveal a disturbing fact – over half of all construction injuries and fatalities are due to lack of or improper training. Therefore, an effective training program must be your top priority. There are a variety of training pro-grams that range from an introduction and overview of a topic (i.e. tool box meetings) to more in-depth content where one receives a certification. Train-ing programs are available in electronic form, for those who are working and find it challenging to attend classes in person. For example, project administrators can take on-line courses in construction ter-

minology and HR personnel might be in-terested in current behavior-based safety studies. It’s common for construction companies to require that employees complete their OSHA 10 Outreach train-ing; this hazard awareness training is avail-able on-site by safety trainers, on-line and offered through many schools of higher education. A company must ensure that the instructors are certified to teach and that the methodology used is appropriate and adheres to current standards. When considering the options of safety training programs, you must know your audience. Will the training be for craft workers at a large hospital-remodel-ing project that involves working near sterile environments or catered to office personnel with the focus on active shoot-er and hostile situations? Upon comple-tion of the training will participants earn CEU’s, or will refresher courses be led by in-house safety trainers and attendance entered into a company database? Spe-cialized training can include First Aid and CPR, Confined Space Entry, Material Han-dling Equipment, Rigging and Signaling, Scaffolding, HAZCOM, OSHA Recordkeep-ing, Silica Safety, Emergency Response, PPE and ANSI standards to name a few. Be certain that the training is specific to the hazard, the process, and equipment. For

example, if a sub-contractor brings a scis-sor lift onto your site, individuals must be trained on that particular scissor lift. Train-ing must include the practical operation of the lift by someone who is familiar with the equipment along with the proper documentation. Take into consideration the following:• Which type of training would be most beneficial, in-house, on-line or out-sourced to professionals with experience in the subject matter?• Is the training affordable and does the investment make economic sense for yourself and your company?• If the decision is to use in-house safety trainers, are they familiar with the con-tent and will they present in a way that captures the attention of attendees?• Is the subject matter relevant?• Is the material current and viewer friendly, (it can be extremely disappoint-ing to pay for thrown together binders, copied pages laden with typos and bor-ing power point presentations)?• Are the tools and equipment being used clean and in good condition? Social media can prove valuable when opting for networking opportunities to learn about safety training programs. However, be cautious of selecting offers that sound too good to be true and take the time to vet the program or the instruc-tor. Endorsements from safety profession-als within your network are significant, read reviews and ask questions. Inquire about associations that are recognized and in good standing. Membership with them can work in your favor as one can take ad-vantage of webinars, conferences, and continuing education programs. Assistant Department of Labor Sec-retary David Michaels recently said, “We

are seeing untrained workers – many of them temporary workers – killed very soon after starting a new job. This must stop. Employers must train all employees, including temporary workers, on the haz-ards specific to that workplace – before they start working. The bottom line is this: training is ar-guably the most important element of an effective safety program. It’s not an area to cut corners or take lightly. Take the time to qualify yourself to provide the training in-house or choose an outside vendor whose training is quality, reputa-ble and cost-effective.” Anna Pelletier, a native of Prescott, AZ holds the position of National Corporate Environmental Health and Safety Coordi-nator at Liberty Construction (a division of Suffolk Construction). Anna graduated Summa Cum Laude at Sacred Heart Univer-sity in Fairfield, CT and is furthering her studies in Occupational Safety and Health at Columbia Southern University. She cur-rently sits as a member on the National As-sociation of Safety Professionals (NASP) Board of Advisors. NASP is a non-profit membership or-ganization providing training, consultative services, and third-party certifications that validate knowledge, skills and abilities in the area of workplace safety. The primary mission of NASP is to provide safety profes-sionals with innovative training opportuni-ties and professional certification to assist them in carrying out their safety related functions with confidence and proven com-petence. NASP offers workplace safety and environmental safety courses and certifica-tions for general industry, the construction industry, and the petroleum industry. For more information, visit them at www.naspweb.com.

NEXT MONTHMarch 2016 Support Your Industry’s Feature Issue

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Round-UpAssociation CalendarContent submitted by Associations to Construction News

AIA - DallasAmerican Institute of Architects

Feb. 17: 14th Annual Building Science Expo, UTA School of Architecture, 601 West Nederman Drive, Arlington, noonFeb. 20: DCFA Form Follows Fitness 5K, Klyde Warren Park, Dallas

AIA - Fort WorthAmerican Institute of Architects

Feb. 17: 14th Annual Building Science Expo, UTA School of Architecture, 601 West Nederman Drive, Arlington, noon

ASCEAmerican Society of Civil Engineers

Feb. 8: Dallas branch meeting, Crowne Plaza Hotel, 14315 Midway Road, Addi-son, 11am

ASA North TexasAmerican Subcontractors Association

Feb. 11: 2016 ASA/TEXO TopGolf Tourna-ment, 3760 Blair Oaks Drive, The Colony, 5pmFeb. 18: PAC Event at LaCima Club, Las Colinas

ASSE – SouthwestAmerican Society of Safety Engineers

Feb. 8: Chapter meeting, Boy Scouts Na-tional Office, 1325 W. Walnut Hill Ln., Ir-ving, 11:30am

CSI – DallasConstruction Specifications Institute


CSI – Fort WorthConstruction Specifications Institute


ICRI - NTInt’l Concrete Repair Institute

Feb. 1-5: World of Concrete, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV

NARINat’l Assn. of the Remodeling Industry

Feb. 9: Meeting, Daltile, 2250 Lyndon B. Johnson Freeway, Dallas, 6pm

NAWIC - DallasNat’l Assn. of Women in Construction

Feb. 15: Dinner meeting, MCM Elegante, 2330 W. Northwest Highway, Dallas, 5:30pm

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

Feb. 18: Business/dinner meeting, Dia-mond Oaks Country Club, 5821 Diamond Oaks Dr. N, Fort Worth, 5:30pm

NUCA – N. Tx.Nat’l Utility Contractors Assn.

Feb. 12: Casino Night, Westin, 4545 West John W. Carpenter Freeway, Irving, 7:30pm

NTRCAN. Tx Roofing Contractors Assn.

Feb. 6: 2016 Annual Awards Banquet and Gala, Dallas Cowboys Stadium, 1 AT&T Way, Arlington, 6pm

PMI – DallasProject Management Institute

Feb. 11: Dinner meeting, Brookhaven Country Club, 3333 Golfing Green Dr., Farmers Branch, 6:30pm

RHCARegional Hispanic Contractors Assn.

Feb. 19: Pillar Awards Breakfast and State of the RHCA, Omni Dallas Hotel, 555 South Lamar Street, Dallas, 7amFeb. 25: RHCA Fort Worth Luncheon, Tar-rant County College – South Campus, 5301 Campus Drive, Technical Building, Fort Worth, 11:30am

TEXOThe Construction Association

Feb. 11: 2016 ASA/TEXO TopGolf Tourna-ment, 3760 Blair Oaks Drive, The Colony, 5pm

TGA – N. Tx. DivisionTx. Glass Assn.

Feb. 9: Members meeting, Elegante Ho-tel, 2330 W. Northwest Highway, Dallas, 6pm

Denver Green has been named presi-dent and chief op-erating officer for building envelope contractor Ramon Franklin LLC. Green most recently served as president of building enve-lope contractor Mountain Top Enterpris-es, dba Saratoga Roofing & Construc-tion. Paul Ramon, who co-founded Ra-mon Franklin, recently sold his interests to focus on his residential business, Ra-mon Roofing Inc.

Mark Tomlinson has joined KCI Tech-nologies Inc. as a regional practice leader. He will be responsible for growing the multi-disciplined firm’s presence in Texas and its offices in Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Irving. Previously, he worked for TxDOT for nearly three decades. He earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engi-neering from the University of Texas. He also graduated from the American Asso-ciation of State Highway and Transporta-tion Officials’ National Transportation Leadership Institute.McCarthy Building

Companies Inc. an-nounced that Ray Sedey has assumed the position of pres-ident of McCarthy’s Texas region. Prior to this position, Sedey served as the company’s execu-tive vice president. Sedey started his ca-reer with the company in 2000 as a proj-ect engineer, served in all aspects of proj-ect management, managed nearly $700 million in projects, evolved the compa-ny’s market presence in Nevada and New Mexico, and recently opened McCarthy’s Denver office.

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Drywall framer Benito Guitierrez of Lone Star Construction in Fort Worth is ready to do the lath. –mjm

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continued from Page 1 — Honoring their health

continued from Page 1 — Change is coming

continued from Page 1 — A new lease on luxury

(972) 459-4749www.pclbonds.com

Building suretyrelationshipsfor 30 years

PARTNERS IN CONSTRUCTION.BONDED BY TRUST.

the color however you want; if it’s Christ-mas you can have it green, if it’s breast cancer awareness month, it’s pink; we can light it up for different seasons of the year.” The spacious 10,000-sf clubhouse features a combination of ceramic floors, granite and onyx countertops, maple cabinets, and a show-stopping stone wa-ter wall to divide lounge spaces. While the finishes are sure to appeal to high-end customers, the arrangement of the units is what offers residents a truly unique living experience. Brendel ex-plains that this was a “wrap-style project” with all of the units wrapping around a central parking garage, yielding multiple exterior leisure areas. “In a typical wrap deal, you may have two courtyards,” he explains. “We were able to plan the site in a way that allowed five courtyards and each of them are pro-grammed in a separate way.” Each courtyard offers a different lux-ury leisure experience. One courtyard has a resort-style pool water feature and grilling area with a covered cabana. Be-tween that and the clubhouse is “The

Cave,” with seating, an outdoor kitchen area and televisions. The “Zen Courtyard” has a guest fire pit with fire glass and Ad-irondack chairs. A smaller courtyard of-fers a more active area, with a concrete Ping-Pong table next to a fire pit. The fourth courtyard provides soothing green space with an outdoor chess set, artificial grass and plenty of space for outdoor movie nights. The fifth court-yard is a beer garden with trayed picnic tables for ice and drinks, outdoor games like washers, a brick wood fire pizza oven and a grilling area. Much like a hotel, residents access their units through air-conditioned, car-peted interior corridors. The units have 10-ft. ceilings, vinyl wood plank flooring, Porcelanosa backsplashes and granite countertops. Select units have separate showers in addition to the bathtubs, and all residents have the option to install Elfa shelving into their walk-in closets. While most of the buildings are four-story, one boasts a fifth-story “V.I.P. level,” with exclusive access for that floor’s resi-dents and amenities including NEST ther-mostats and cell phone-programmable LED lighting. Brendel says the location, too, makes the project unique. Located near the in-tersection of Northwest Highway and Las Colinas Boulevard, residents are just a stone’s throw from adventure. “It’s the closest community to the or-ange DART line Irving Convention Center station connecting to DFW Airport and it’s walkable to the Irving Music Factory that is under construction,” he says. With the project complete, the posi-tive feedback from both the client and those who call Jefferson Las Colinas home has been rewarding. “Jefferson Las Colinas is a successful project and it has a lot to do with the general contractor and architect as well,” Brendel says. “This project is at top rent, out-performing the market. The commu-nity has really absorbed the units quickly with an extremely favorable response.” Irving-based JPI is a national builder, developer and investment manager of Class A multifamily assets. –mjm

Each unit pampers residents with 10-ft. ceilings, Porcelanosa backsplashes, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.

outdoor learning centers. Under the team name “The Sustainers,” they often run marathons together, and at the mo-ment, the company is competing in an eight-week “Biggest Loser” weight loss challenge. “One of our five core values is ‘Work hard, play hard,’” Strong says. “We want

employees to bring their best to the of-fice, bring their best to their work and we want them to play hard too. We really try to encourage people to be healthy, be active, be outside, give back to the com-munity and support the environment.” C1S Group is a Dallas-based engineering, construction and sustainability firm. –mjm

School in Fort Worth, and South Side on Lamar in Downtown Dallas. It is currently working on sever-al notable projects, including Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Terminal D’s new parking ga-rage, Fort Worth’s True Worth Resource Center and the new Neiman Marcus at Clear Fork in Fort Worth. Clients include Adolfson & Peterson, Rogers-O’Brien, Hill & Wilkinson, Turner Construction, JE Dunn, Flintco, Fort Construction, SEDALCO, and Muckleroy & Falls, to name a few. “We are enthusiastic about the opportunities in our sector,” Franklin says. “The economy in the mid-south states is booming, especially in North Central Texas because this region is so economi-cally diverse. As major companies relocate here, their impact is huge. Ramon Franklin is proud to be on many of the construction teams that are making that happen.” With more than 150 employees in Texas and Oklahoma offices, Ramon Franklin in-stalls premium commercial roofing, architectural sheet metal, aluminum composite pan-els and insulated metal wall panels and offers waterproofing services. –mjm

President and COO Denver Green

“The Sustainers” enjoy running marathons together.

Fete of engineeringSubmitted to Construction News

JQ’s CEO Stephen H. Lucy, PE, (center), was the recent recipient of the Distinguished Graduate Award, presented by the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering at Texas A&M University (TAMU). Lucy graduated summa cum laude from TAMU with a Masters in Civil

Engineering, has been a professional engineer since 1987 and is active in many civic, academic and construction organizations. –mjm

Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News February 2016

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Transcript of Dallas/Fort Worth Construction News February 2016