Covering the Industry’s News
P.O. Box 791290
Texas
Style
San Antonio H Austin
Dallas/Fort Worth H Houston
Construct A Kids Christmas
Celebrating 50 years
The Joeris staff outside their San Antonio office.
L S
eo Joeris got his foot in the construc-
tion door when he went to work for
his brother Joe after the war. After
getting some valuable experience he be-
came an acoustical ceiling contractor be-
fore going back into the general construc-
tion side of working for William Matera
Construction.
Leo and Raymond Klaus along with a
handful of people worked for William Ma-
tera Construction until Matera was killed
in a plane crash. “After his death, Dad fin-
ished up all their work and started bidding
work as Joeris & Klaus Construction Com-
pany,” says Gary Joeris, CEO of Joeris
General Contractors. “My dad and Ray-
mond Klaus started the company in 1967
focusing on some private work, but most-
ly school work, churches and public work.”
S
traddling a jet-ski style car, racing
out over a man-made lake, then
launching 60 ft into the air through
banks and turns along 2,600 ft of track
sounds like a thrill-seekers dream come
true. For Casias Construction LLC and
Morganti Texas Inc., the Sea World Wave
Breaker Roller Coaster was just that.
The Wave Breaker Roller Coaster had
an original construction time frame of
nine months but given the actual start
date of construction, this would have
meant a completion date at the end of
summer. “In a joint effort with Sea World
of Texas, our subcontractors, suppliers,
and our staff we successfully completed
the project two and one half months ear-
ly and Sea World was able to open the
ride for the summer,” says Frank Casias,
Owner of Casias Construction.
The Wave Breaker Roller Coaster was
designed and created to further the Sea
World mission of providing awareness to
San Antonio, Texas 78279-1290
Change Service Requested
San Antonio
CONSTRUCTION
www.constructionnews.net H (210) 308-5800 H Volume 19 H Number 11 H NOVEMBER 2017
Working through the summers dur-
ing high school and college, Gary worked
for the company as a carpenter, helping
out in the office, running errands and es-
timating. He joined the company full-
time in 1978 after graduating college as a
project manager.
By the early ‘80s, when Klaus decid-
ed to go out on their own, Joeris contin-
ued on as Joeris General Contractors and
Gary was named vice president of the
company. He would continue in that ca-
pacity until 1990 when he took on the
role as president. His father continued to
support and guide him until he retired in
2000. “Dad was pretty good about relin-
quishing control and, of course, I went to
him for advice. We were a good team. He
continued on Page 21
Enjoy the ride!
Aerial view of The Wave Breaker at Sea World
PRSRT. STD.
The Industry’s Newspaper
Part science, part art
L-R: Owners, Trevor Broyles, Jenni Urbanczyk and Scott Anderson at their yard, 137 W. Specht Rd.
cott Anderson and Jenni Urbanc-
zyk owned a tree service and wood
shop in Utah before coming back to
Texas. Scott would source all the materi-
als by hand from riverbeds, mountains
and the deserts that surrounded them.
The trees he was asked to remove would
supply their sawmill and the sawmill
would feed his wood shop.
In his wood shop he would create
items that people needed from signs to
tables to chairs to decorative art. Noth-
ing was wasted. “I was making things and
taking trees down for free for all the
wood. When all the tree services in the
area collapsed, it just made sense to go
into the land clearing and soil business. I
had the equipment and insurance,” says
Anderson.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
DALLAS, TX
PERMIT #1451
™
Two years ago, the two sold their
business in Utah to their employees and
started a land clearing and soil business
here in San Antonio, Urban Land Clear-
ing, Soil & Compost with co-partner
Trevor Broyles.
Unlike their previous company
where they focused on hazard removals
in terms of trees and other materials, now
they are fully integrated into not just tree
protection, but necessary tree removal,
tree trimming to full land clearing prior to
construction and the recycling of those
commodities. All the resources that are
removed are then turned into useable
by-products. Nothing is wasted.
“We make several different kinds of
soils and most have to meet certain
continued on Page 21
their Animal Rescues and Educational
platforms. Each roller coaster train is
comprised of eight cars (two riders per
car) that mimic a jet ski going down the
track side by side. Designed to bring the
exhilarating rush of a roller coaster and
the educational aspect of animal rescues,
the ride traverses through new buildings
where people get a visual experience of
real animal rescues and culminate in over
2,600 ft of thrills and fun that take the
rider over an existing man-made lake.
Primary construction materials con-
sisted of 309 ride footings in a variety of
sizes and depths with an accuracy re-
quirement of +/- two millimeters to ac-
cept the ride columns. Construction of
the ride also included a structural steel,
two-story main launching facility which
contains the ride’s gift shop, an arched
metal building where the rescue theme
of the ride is enhanced, and a structural
steel building with exterior sheathing
continued on Page 21
Page 2 San Antonio Construction News • November 2017
Countdown to the gala
T
he clock is moving fast toward the
17th Annual Construct A Kid’s
Christmas Gala. When you read
this article there will be only 37 days until
the fun begins.
The Gala Committee Members have
been working for months to make sure
this will be the biggest and best Gala
ever. The event will be held on Dec. 7
from 5:30-11pm at the Freeman Coliseum
in Expo Hall in Exhibit Hall C.
Enjoy the evening with food, bever-
age, casino, live band, silent and live auc-
tions and the WINNER TAKE ALL Grand
Gala Raffle.
People just can’t believe they can
walk away with 15 great prizes including
hunting and fishing trips, get away trips,
his and hers boots and pistols and a Can
Am Defender utility vehicle.
Win the raffle and your Christmas
Shopping will be done. You will also find
you have more friends and family than
you thought.
The more tickets sold means the
more donations Construct A Kid’s Christ-
mas can give to benefit the foster kids in
Bexar County so they can have a merrier
Christmas.
The raffle winner will be drawn dur-
ing the evening and the winner does not
need to be present to win. For a complete
listing of prizes, see the ad on page 28 of
this issue of Construction News.
Unwrapped gifts, toys and gift cards
are collected at the gala and the annual
Construct A Kid’s Christmas Toy Drive,
which is held the next day, Dec. 8, from
10am-2pm. at the Construction News of-
fice, 4047 Naco-Perrin Blvd. The gifts
benefit the Friends of Bexar County Child
Welfare Board, who works with Child Pro-
tective Services to distribute the un-
wrapped toys to the Bexar County foster
kids.
The Gala is now able to support both
the annual Christmas present project and
provide an additional financial donation
to CASA (Child Advocates of San Anto-
nio). For 39 years, CASA has provided
court-appointed volunteer advocates for
abused and neglected children and
youth while advocating for services and
placement in safe and permanent homes.
Associations participating in the
2017 gala include the Associated Builders
and Contractors (ABC), Associated Gen-
eral Contractors (AGC), American Sub-
contractors Association (ASA), Builders
Exchange of Texas (BXTX) Education
Council, Construction Financial Manage-
ment Association (CFMA), Construction
News Ltd., Hispanic Contractors Associa-
tion (HCA), Independent Electrical Con-
tractors (IEC), Mechanical and Sheet Met-
al Contractors Association (MCA-SMAC-
NA), National Association of Women in
Construction (NAWIC), Plumbing Heat-
ing Cooling Contractors (PHCC), Surety
Association of South Texas (SAST) and
Texas Air Conditioning Contractors -bd
San Antonio Construction News • November 2017 Page 3

Welcome to SA!

San Antonio Chamber of Commerce welcomes Structura to San Antonio and presents the
leadership team with a plaque prior to the ribbon cutting.

A
fter years of working in the con-
struction industry, Rusty Morgan
and Kevin Jones decided to
branch out on their own. They did just
that and began building relationships in
the construction industry under their
own company, Structura.
Just ten years later, Morgan who is
President and CEO and Jones, who is Vice
President and COO, have opened their
third branch office here in San Antonio.
“We had been looking at San Antonio for
years. Ever since we opened our doors in
Austin 10 years ago, we have had at least
one or two projects every year here in
San Antonio,” says Jones. “Over the last Connie Phillips is caught reviewing a copy
few years, we’ve had quite a few clients of Construction News between visits.
asking if we were in San Antonio, and we
would tell them we can go there. But
what we bring to the table. One that is
they would ask if we had an office there
fair to us, so when we over perform their
and we realized that in San Antonio,
expectations, they keep calling us back,”
you’re either from here or you’re not. If
says Morgan.
you want to get in, you have to have a
The San Antonio office currently has
presence.” Wanting that presence result-
eight employees but has plans to grow at
ed in bringing Gerry Albanese up as
a steady pace according to Morgan.
regional leader for San Antonio. Albanese
“We are very excited about being
had been overseeing construction projects
here in San Antonio. We’re also excited
in the San Antonio area since 2006.
that we made the San Antonio Business
“I’m proud to represent Structura
Journal’s Top 25 companies. It’s been
San Antonio in my Business Develop-
great and we are looking forward to
ment role” says Connie Phillips, Regional
building more relationships along the
Marketing Manager.
way,” adds Morgan.
“We’ve built a culture based on rela-
Structura is a general contractor with
tionships. We focus on key relationships
locations in San Antonio, Houston and
and not bidding every project out there.
Austin, TX. - cmw
Building a client base that appreciates

CAROL WIATREK, Managing Editor

Construction News / San Antonio
(210) 308-5800
SAeditor@ConstructionNews.net
If you are a construction-related company in
the Austin area and would like an article about
your company and personnel, call Kim for an
interview in person or over the phone.
There is absolutely no charge for interviews,
articles and photos. All content is free.
If you are interested in advertising in any of our
4-city papers, contact Buddy Doebbler, Publisher,
at our home office, (210) 308-5800.

San Antonio CONSTRUCTION NEWS

Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Buddy Doebbler
Editorial/Production . . . . . . Reesa Doebbler
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Page 4 San Antonio Construction News • November 2017
Duane Hannasch
President
Joe Ebrom
Vice President
Fire Alarm Control
Systems Inc.
E
veryday in the construction indus-
try, paths are crossed, new relation-
ships are developed and new
friendships are formed. That couldn’t be
truer for Duane Hannasch and Joe Ebrom.
Where are you from?
Joe: I was born and raised in Karnes
City. I live in Floresville now and have
lived there since I got married.
Duane: I’m from San Antonio. I grew
up here. I live in Bulverde.
How did you meet?
Joe: We met through the industry.
The Texas Fire Alarm Association brought
us together. I was on the board of direc-
tors for years and I’d see Duane and Jim
at the meetings. We would be coming
from the same place and started talking.
We were competitors, but good friends.
How did you get started in the fire
alarm business?
Duane: My dad was an electrician.
He owned Shamrock Electric. His shop
was next door to Hockstadt Inc., a fire
alarm business. Jim Hockstadt started
Hockstadt Inc. in the mid ‘70s. I had al-
ready been an electrician for years. Jim
came over one day and said ‘Do you want
to do something else?’ Considering that
my dad, my uncle, and several cousins
were all in the business, I said yeah, ‘why
not.’ So I moved next door and started
learning the fire alarm business.
Joe: My dad was a radio and TV re-
pairman. I thought that was the business
I would pursue. After I went to school
and got my associates degree in elec-
tronics, I went to work in Corpus Christi in
the radio and TV repair field. Back then
(1976), I could see the writing on the wall.
That industry was really changing so I an-
swered an ad in the paper for Simplex
Time Recorder who were big in the time
recording business at that time and had
recently bought a division of IBM for
school clock systems and fire alarm sy-
tems. Having an electronic background
help me understand the fire system in-
stallations and allowed me to advance in
the company.
While working for Simplex, it got to a
certain point where you could see all
these changes and big corporate Ameri-
ca and things coming down. I left and
went to work for a guy I worked with at
Simplex here in San Antonio, Bill Cavin, at
Fire Quest.
You said you started out as an electri-
cian. How difficult was it to learn the
fire alarm side of it?
Duane: The transition from electri-
cian to fire alarm was pretty easy. I al-
ready had my journeyman’s license for six
or seven years. At the end of the day,
electricity is electricity. You’re either deal-
ing with 120 volts or you’re dealing with
24 volts. It was simply learning the super-
vision and the way the circuits go togeth-
er in the fire alarm panels. Jim did a real
good job of going over that with me.
Then I went through the manufacturer’s
training schools to learn more. We send
our technicians to training schools as
well.
When was Fire Alarm Control Systems
Inc. started?
Duane: When Jim was getting ready
to retire he wanted to find a good way to
transition. He didn’t know if he wanted
to keep the company or have a part of
the company. The easiest way he could
come up with was for us to start a new
company, Fire Alarm Control Systems.
In Feb. 1995, we finished up all the
work on the books for Hockstadt Inc. and
anything new which came in went to Fire
Alarm Control Systems.
In the beginning, there were only
four of us; Jim, a secretary, a draftsman
and myself. Military work was our main
thing with an occasional commercial job.
Joe, when did you become a part of
the FACSSA team?
Fire Quest just wasn’t growing and I
always wanted to grow a company into a
successful reputable company. That’s
when I started talking to Duane and Jim
about coming on board. We have known
each other for years. They knew I had
worked with big companies and was do-
ing a lot of commercial work. After com-
ing on board, It didn’t take us long to
start growing. We installed whatever we
sold ourselves because there weren’t
that many people in the business. We
went from four or five employees to 20.
Duane: Joe came on board in May
1997 and it worked out perfect because
his customer base was totally separate
from our customer base. He did commer-
cial systems, AT&T systems and school
projects. We were mainly smaller com-
mercial and military.
Business has been good, then?
Joe: Company growth was unreal
from what the original company was do-
L-R: Duane Hannasch and Joe Ebrom look over a set of plans.
ing when we branched out. We branched
out into so many things. If you don’t stay
ahead of the competition, they’re going
to run you out of business.
So we got into intercom and mass no-
tification. Duane had the military work,
and I had the AT&T work. You always had
to look for an avenue because your com-
petitors get cheaper and cheaper all the
time.
How did your company become so
successful?
Duane: We have a little higher re-
quirement for our technicians. When do-
ing military work, you have to be nation-
ally certified. We push our guys to do
that. And we have a good core of guys.
We have one guy who got his NICET IV.
Level IV is the highest level you can get.
You have to have 10 years’ experience be-
fore taking the NICET IV.
Joe: We have about five to seven
NICET IIIs or NICET IVs in our company.
I’m a NICET III and Duane is a NICET IV. By
doing this, it has separated us from the
competition.
Tell me about your wives and children.
Duane: I’ve been married to my
beautiful wife Debbie for 37 years. We
got married in 1980. We have one daugh-
ter, Amanda, and a grandson.
Joe: Marilyn and I have been mar-
ried for 35 wonderful years. We have two
children, Matthew and Amanda, and one
granddaughter.
Are any of your children involved in
the business?
Joe: My son worked here for a while
until he became a police officer. I had
hoped he would get involved and stay
with it, but he always wanted to be a po-
lice officer.
Do you have any hobbies or do any-
thing for fun when you’re not work-
ing?
Duane: About 30 years ago when
we first started FACSSA, we moved to
Bulverde. It was all volunteer fire depart-
ments back then. One day I walked down
to the local volunteer fire department
and asked if they needed volunteers be-
cause I’d been designing fire alarm sys-
tems for years and thought it would be
nice to see how smoke moves in build-
ings. They took me under their wing and
gave me an expanding knowledge in
helping me with designs seeing how
things work. I volunteered for close to 20
years there.
The fire department started re-
sponding for EMS because they were two
separate departments at the time. I got
my EMT Basic, advanced to paramedic
and for about 15 years I was volunteering
every Sunday night for EMS on a para-
medic shift. When they got a training
center, I was one of the instructors to
help teach some EMT basics once they
got some classes up and going.
I’m also a volunteer on the medical
committee for the Stock Show and Ro-
deo.
I like to do some hunting, fishing and
just good outdoor stuff at the end of the
day. We had a lease down south, but now
I just do one-week hunts in New Mexico
for elk hunting with a group of guys. One
of them used to be my regional sales
manager for FCI. My son-in-law has a
friend with a place he manages in West
Texas near Sabinal. It’s easier not to wor-
ry about a deer lease anymore. I just do a
one-week hunt and I’m done with a lot of
meat.
Joe: I have a second business. I raise
show cattle for FFA and 4-H projects. I
have cattle in Floresville and Panna Maria
at my wife’s property. Now with my
granddaughter, I’m raising something for
her to show.
What breed are you raising?
Joe: Half-blood Brahma. We show
them as Brahmas in major shows. I just
purchased several new full blood Brah-
man cattle. I also sit on the parish build-
ing board in Floresville, and on the build-
ing committee for our condo association
in Rockport, TX.
I like the outdoors and going hunt-
ing and fishing. I hunted for 27 years in
Laredo and I miss it. It’s been two years
since I’ve hunted. My kids all grew up
hunting in Laredo. I have a condo at the
coast; my son and I fish a lot.
When I first came on board, Duane
and I did a lot of fishing with our clients to
build a customer base. It was a little easi-
er back then. Technology has changed
things; people just don’t want to get
away. We went fishing at least every two
weeks in the summer with our custom-
ers. We did a lot of that and the customer
relationships that we built have stuck
with us all these years. I wish we could
fish like we did back then, but business
has grown such much, you have to spend
more time to run it. -cmw
San Antonio Construction News • November 2017 Page 5
Horses, planes and doors
Pilots arrive at Schweiss Doors Friday for fun, food and a Schweiss factory tour.
M
ike Schweiss is one focused indi-
vidual. Rather than devoting time
and energy to a wide variety of
activities and undertakings, he finds ful-
fillment in two areas of interest - doors
and horses. From his point of view, every-
thing else is pretty much a diversion. It's
been that way for much of his adult life.
Doors are Schweiss’ first passion. “I
just can’t stop thinking about them. From
the time I get up in the morning until I go
to bed at night, doors are on my mind.”
This obsession is a good thing. He’s
the founder of Schweiss Doors, one of the
world’s premier manufacturers of bi-fold
and hydraulic doors.
Doors weren’t on his radar screen
in his early working life. After graduat-
ing high school, he worked on the fam-
ily dairy located about two hours west
of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Over the next
several years he began manufacturing
numerous farm and ag-related products.
The moment that changed his life
forever came in 1980 when a friend told
him he was good at making things and
why not make a bi-fold door. Schweiss re-
plied,“What’s a bi-fold door?” He couldn’t
stop thinking about this idea.
A few months later, he designed his
first door, a 14-ft x 14-ft for a utility shed
owned by the local county highway de-
partment. Through the 1980s, he zeroed
in on making bi-fold doors for farms and
agricultural-related businesses. And the
rest is history.
Schweiss designed a system that
relies on nylon straps rather than cables
for operation. He developed new mar-
kets over the next two-plus decades, to
include aviation. In addition to bi-fold
doors, he developed hydraulic doors. One
of the larger doors is a 94-ft x 62-ft for
SpaceX at Cape Canaveral in Florida.
Schweiss’ most recent success story
is Hurricane Harvey’s havoc on the South
Texas Coast. The aftermath of the hur-
ricane at the Aransas County Airport in
Rockport, TX was devastating, hangers
were destroyed. That is, except for the
hangers that had the Schweiss doors
which helped to support the buildings.
Those were still standing according to
Mike Geer, Airport Manager.
Geer chose to ride out the storm in
the airport terminal, a probable staging
ground for relief and recovery efforts. He
wanted to be there to assist first respond-
ers. “It was like having a 747 with parking
brakes on a full throttle just outside the
door; it was incredibly loud. We had hurri-
cane force winds for 13 hours,” said Geer.
Creating tremendous interest within
the construction and architectural in-
dustry is the Schweiss Hydraulics. Build-
ers like the clean and trending styles, yet
rugged design of these products. Heavy-
duty hydraulic cylinders provide super
stability. As one builder commented, "Hy-
draulic doors with the Schweiss name, it
doesn't get any better." -rd
A picture worth a thousand words
Kevin Butts poses with camera and a drone before take off.
A
banker with an expensive hobby
can be a recipe for disaster, unless,
you find a way to utilize your talents.
Kevin Butts had been a banker for
many years and he did have an expensive
hobby, flying. He soon realized after get-
ting his pilot’s license it was too expen-
sive, and had pretty much quit flying.
One day, while looking over a loan re-
quest for a shopping center which in-
cluded the usual financial statements,
plans and specs, demographics, project-
ed operating statements and some aerial
photos, it clicked. While looking at the
photos, Butts thought to himself, “I can do
better than this. These photos are terrible.
They were blurry, crooked, and the cut
was wrong. Even though I didn’t know
anything about photography, I just knew I
could do better.”
While sitting there, the light bulb
came on he says. He went home and was
playing around with one of those 30-day
trial websites wondering what it would
look like. Hours went by as more and
more ideas kept popping into his head.
Before long his wife, Kari, asked what he
was doing and simply told him no.
Not fighting her, as he knew she was
right. They had a young family to take
care of and he had a good career. He
walked away. About six months later he
came home to find an email from some-
one looking for aerial shots. He borrowed
a camera, rented a plane and that is how
Red Wing Aerials got started.
Within six months, Butts’ part-time
business overtook his banking job in
terms of revenue. His wife finally told him,
“I’m the last person in the world that
ought to say this but I think you should
quit your job and do this full time.”
In 2005, he leveraged his 401k, bought
a plane and hasn’t looked back. “We have
three photographers, six pilots, three
fixed-wing aircraft and three drones. We
also have four helicopters in my hangar
we can access whenever we need them,
but most customers don’t want to pay the
premium for a helicopter. The airplane is
the most economic out of the three plat-
forms – helicopter, airplane and drone.”
Red Wing Aerials provides aerial pho-
tography services to the commercial con-
struction and real estate industries for pre-
development, construction progress, mar-
keting and mapping needs. “We’ll do
photos on the front-end for a developer.
The general contractor will call for month-
ly construction progress photography.
Once the project is complete, we’ll have a
commercial real estate broker call. If it’s re-
tail, they want photos with a lot of cars in
the parking lot. Black Friday is our biggest
day of the year,” says Butts.
Construction clients who most often
call are general contractors and roofers and,
occasionally, the owner who is geographi-
cally removed from the project. “Photos
help everybody get on the same page.”
Red Wing Aerials is San Antonio service
provider. -cmw
Page 6 San Antonio Construction News • November 2017
A new identity
Lone Star Materials’ San Antonio team members pose by their new company sign.
G
ypsum Management and Supply
(GMS) founded in 1871 is a major
independent distributor of dry-
wall products in the U.S. and the parent
company of Hill Country Materials of San
Antonio, Lone Star Materials of Austin,
and Rio Grande Building Materials in Lar-
edo.
As of August 1st, after 35 years, Hill
Country Materials was merged with Lone
Star Materials and Rio Grande Building
Materials to become Lone Star Materials.
“It was decided a couple of years ago to
merge the three companies for cost sav-
ing purposes and for recognition in each
market; everywhere in Texas we were a
different name,” says John Clifton, Gen-
eral Manager of Hill Country Materials of
San Antonio. Yards in Houston, as well as
yards in Dallas/Fort Worth markets have
also merged.
“We looked at the Lone Star name in
comparison to the Hill Country name and
the Rio Grande name. Hill Country Mate-
rials is not really in the Hill Country here
in San Antonio. Lone Star in Austin is
more in the Hill Country than we are and
it just made sense being in Texas (Lone
Star State) to be called Lone Star Materi-
als,” states Clifton. sum and drywall supplier in San Antonio,
s
ear with tors!”
Y
“20 ealing ntrac
o
of d ral C
ne
Ge
Metal Studs Drywall
Acoustical Insulation
9018 Tesoro Suite 101
San Antonio, Texas 78217
(210) 826-4123 Fax (210) 826-5801
Clifton says he fought to keep the
Hill Country Materials name for a while
because it is the oldest yard of the three
companies, adding that Joe Tucker start-
ed Hill Country Materials in 1982. “It was
not easy for me to see the name change.
I started with Hill Country Materials in
1983 and have been running it since
1989. I’ve had a lot of customers tell me
we’re losing its market recognition, but I
think we took care of that.”
The merger did not affect the status
of any of the employees. Clifton stated
that upper management in Atlanta made
it very clear from the beginning that no
one was going to lose any jobs from the
merger. In addition, he stated the transi-
tion has been fairly smooth with just a
few minor snags here and there.
“We definitely have expansion plans.
We are looking at opening a few more
operations. I don’t know yet when, where
or how. We have goals and some targets
set. We have three yards now and I’ll say
we will probably have four within a year. I
wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t have
six operations within the next five years,
all under the Lone Star name.”
Lone Star Building Materials is a gyp-
Austin and Laredo, TX. -cmw
WA L L S
ACROSS
TE AS
Ideas that work
The San Antonio Memco team proudly poses for a photo inside their training room.
S
tarted in 1996 in Houston, TX with
the intent to be an internal staffing
mechanism for the Marek drywall
operations, Memco (Marek Employment
Management Company) was never
thought to be an outside profit center. It
was intended to be a cost saving device
for the drywall company.
“The constant build up and tear
down of the workforce that is associated
with the construction industry triggered
the idea. The thought was if we could
keep a finger on the work force that we
built up and farm them out to friendly
competitors between projects it would
serve to benefit everybody. There would
not be this train them and then let them
go between jobs issue,” says Casey Wen-
Roofing reliability
Luis Aranda, owner of Fasteel
F
or over 20 years, Luis Aranda sold
metal coils in Mexico. He spent his
first six years doing export sales. As
the company he worked for grew, the
company opened offices throughout Lat-
in America and here in the United States.
As the company continued to grow, so
did Aranda’s reputation. The company
moved him to Chile. He would spend
eight years in Chile selling metal coils.
Finally, there came the day that Aran-
da decided he did not want to be in Chile
anymore and left the company that had
taught him so much and came to San An-
tonio where he would start a business of
his own, Fasteel.
“I got tired of selling coils in Chile. I
said, I quit. I want to work for myself,”
says Aranda. But it would not be easy for
the new entrepreneur.
“Getting started was complicated.
No body wanted to give me credit, not
one single penny. In Chile I had all the
credit I wanted. So I asked a creditor
there to invest in materials and coils,
zel, general manager. “But what started
happening is other trades on the jobsites
started asking to use some of our labor-
ers for a few days here and there.”
Memco began with one location in
Houston and now have three in the Hous-
ton area. Memco also has locations in
Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Atlanta,
Nashville and an outpost in Denver.
Memco’s San Antonio branch has
been in San Antonio since 2010 and has
experienced a tremendous growth.
When they first opened, the company
had 20 employees; today they employ
over 300 skilled tradesmen.
Memco is a service provider in San An-
tonio providing skilled, semi-skilled and un-
skilled workers. –cmw
which he did. But I had no customers.
The customers I had 20 years ago have
grown so much they are now my suppli-
ers. I buy from them and I’m getting
credit from them.
“Everything was beginning to move.
I have the materials, suppliers, and the
knowledge of the material. But zero cus-
tomers. The first two months were tough.
Nobody knew me. They did not know if I
was reliable.” Once he got his first cus-
tomer, word of his knowledge and integ-
rity began to spread. By word of mouth,
Fasteel was on its way. “I have heard my
customers tell me that they hear ‘he
knows the materials, or I had no prob-
lems with him. He helped me solve prob-
lems.’ That kind of thing gave me the reli-
ability in the market I was needing to get
going.”
Fasteel manufactures, supplies and in-
stalls galvalume and pre-painted steel coils
for metal roof panels in San Antonio and
the surrounding areas. -cmw
San Antonio Construction News • November 2017 Page 7
Diversified fun More than just walls
C elebrating 25 years, Terracon Consultants Inc. hosted their 6th annual client
appreciation party and casino night on Oct. 5 at Aggie Park. In addition to black
jack and craps tables, guests were treated to dinner, cultural desserts celebrating
diversity, drinks, and photo booth fun for lasting memories and a souvenir and
chances to win door prizes. –cmw
L-R: DEA Specialties President, Greg Uhlig and Owner & CEO, Diane Alberthal
S
tarting out of their home with just
L-R: Melynne Wulff, Terracon Consultants Inc.; 1st Place casino winner Alan DeLeon, Jose one line of partition wall products,
I. Guerra Inc.; 2nd Place winner Jessica High, EP Energy; 3rd Place winner Flavio Robles, Diane and David Alberthal found
Dannenbaum Engineering, and Chuck Gregory, Terracon Consultants Inc.
their place in the construction industry. It
did not take the Alberthals long to be-
come well known. “Marriott River Center
was our first major project. That project
put us on the map,” says Diane Alberthal,
Owner and CEO of DEA Specialties.
Founded in 1984 as a husband and
wife operation, the company has grown
significantly over the past 33 years. In
2014, DEA acquired the product lines of a
fellow competitor along with some of its
employees. As a result of that acquisi-
tion, the company grew 63% in terms of
revenue and grew to a staff of 30 employ-
ees. Between 2014 and 2016, the com-
pany grew 30%. “Four years ago we were
operating in 68 different counties with
one specifiable product, now 162 coun-
L-R: Rudy Bazan, Tanner Jason and Warren Dean with Terracon prepare ties in Texas with at least one product in
for a drone demonstration as guests arrive.
Waiting for the gaming to begin.
Are you in?
Seriousness at the black jack table.
each of those counties,” says Greg Uhlig,
DEA president.
“Operable walls are what started this
company. We went from one specified
product to four. Today we market, sell
and install operable walls to restroom
partitions to fire protection to laundry
and trash chutes to handrails,” says Al-
berthal. “Acquiring those additional
product lines has been a really good
thing for us,” adds Uhlig.
Alberthal states that their philoso-
phy is to hire the best people, complete
all projects with the precision of a crafts-
man, share the rewards with their em-
ployees, all with the intended goal of de-
livering high quality work. The company
has never wavered from that vision and
today, the strategic objectives are the
same
DEA Specialties is a Division 10 Special-
ties subcontractor in San Antonio. -cmw
Page 8 San Antonio Construction News • November 2017

Potential payroll pitfalls Game of drones

Leann Ussery, CPA, Tax Manager Lauren Allen, Vice President-Sales
Armstrong, Vaughan & Associates, P.C. BrookStone Insurance Group
Universal City, TX Dallas, TX

Y our focus is your company’s growth, but you might

be jeopardizing that growth if you’re not aware of
various payroll pitfalls. Voluntary compliance with IRS
regulations can save hours of time and thousands of
dollars in penalties and assessments in the event of an
audit, so it’s important to understand how to avoid
these issues before that happens.
Contractor vs. Employee
Be sure to properly classify your em-
ployees and contract laborers. Work re-
sponsibilities vary significantly from
company to company, so there is no clear
definition of who is an employee and
who isn’t, but there are some general
guidelines.
• Contract Laborers are hired by the
job, not the hour, with no expectation of
on-going employment. They generally
have their own tools and frequently have
other employment.
• In contrast, employees are subject to
more control by the employer in terms of
when and how they work; tools are gen-
erally provided by the employer; and
they receive benefits such as paid time
off, training, job evaluations, and/or ex-
pense reimbursements.
• The IRS is suspicious of classifications
showing any individual as both an em-
ployee and an independent contractor,
so avoid this red flag whenever possible.
• Payroll reporting is a hassle, yes, but
filing Forms 1099 to your employees is
not a substitute. An employer who mis-
classifies employees as independent con-
tractors bears the risk of employment
taxes, penalties and interest.
• To correct classification errors, the
Voluntary Classification Settlement Pro-
gram is available to offer some relief. Eli-
gible participants pay just 10% of appli-
cable payroll taxes without penalties or
interest and are no longer subject to em-
ployment tax audits regarding reclassi-
fied employees on any prior years.
Partnership Compensation
If your business files as a partnership,
partners should not receive traditional
wages except in rare cases but could re-
ceive guaranteed payments as outlined
in a written partnership agreement.
• Guaranteed payments are compen-
sation to partners for services or use of
capital or property. Amounts of these
payments are determined without re-
gard to partnership income and are gen-
erally fixed. Payments should not include
any payroll withholding but will be taxed
as self-employment income on the part-
ner’s individual income tax return.
• Cash payments to partners designat-
ed as distributions of earnings are not de-
ductions for the partnership, nor do they
increase taxable income to the partner.
S Corporation Owner Wages
If your business files as an S Corp, your
shareholder-employee compensation is
of great interest to the IRS since it is the
only portion of your income that is sub-
ject to the self-employment tax.
• Under-paying yourself may be con-
sidered unjustified tax avoidance if the
shareholder-employee is also taking tax-
free distributions of earnings.
Shareholder wages are paid in the same
way other employee wages are paid, net
of applicable withholding.
• If S Corp income is significant and
shareholder wages are not comparable,
the IRS may recharacterize any distribu-
tions and levy payroll taxes and penal-
ties. To reduce risk, use industry stan-
dards to determine shareholder wage
rates.
Auto Allowance and Other Taxable
Fringe Benefits
Providing an auto allowance to em-
ployees for business use of their personal
vehicles is a fringe benefit that provides
incentives to employees and a tax deduc-
tion for the company. Other taxable
fringe benefits include adoption assis-
tance, dependent care assistance in ex-
cess of federal limits, unsubstantiated
expense reimbursements, and educa-
tional or mileage reimbursements in ex-
cess of standard federal rates.
These fringe benefits paid to owners
or employees should be treated as addi-
tional compensation to the employee,
subject to payroll tax. If paid to indepen-
dent contractors, the total amount paid
including fringes should be reported on
Form 1099.
Classification issues, owner-compen-
sation, and taxable fringe benefit report-
ing are just a few of the potential dangers
of payroll, so contact your payroll profes-
sional for help in navigating payroll tax
compliance and reporting.
Leann Ussery, CPA is tax manager of
corporate/partnership returns and focuses
on the tax needs of small-to-mid sized enti-
ties, including entities with multi-state tax
issues. Leann joined Armstrong, Vaughan
& Associates, PC in 2008 after graduating
from Angelo State University with an MBA
in Accounting. She can be reached at 210-
658-6229.
W hat do the U.S. military, Super Bowl LI, Texas Dept.
of Public Safety, Austin City Limits Music Festival
and the construction industry have in common? All
have utilized drones to enhance the activity at hand.
From search and rescue operations to documenting ar-
tistic performances to monitoring projects for safety
and quality control, commercial drones (also known as
“unmanned aircraft systems”) are becoming an increasingly predominant tool to en-
sure operational success.
While the use of drones in the con- several insurance carriers have stepped
struction industry may not seem like an up to the plate and now offer drone-spe-
everyday occurrence, the FAA estimates cific policies with varying degrees of cov-
that by 2018, over 7,500 small commer- erage, including both “owned drone”
cial drones will be used by general con- and “non-owned drone” coverage.
tractors and tradespeople, with most of When determining whether drone
the usage occurring on construction usage is right for your company, consider
sites. Think about the benefits: surveying a few of the FAA’s regulations:
large project sites, inspecting dangerous
or difficult to reach locations, creating • The drone must be registered with
aerial maps, and providing live video and approved for commercial use by the
feeds of the job site to ensure adherence FAA;
to safety protocol. Drones have the capa- • Drone operators must be at least 16
bility of completing certain tasks with years old, pass an initial aeronautical
significantly less risk than a human. knowledge test/obtain a remote pilot
But practical and cost benefits aside, airman certificate, and be vetted by the
it is imperative to consider the full gamut TSA;
of risks associated with drone usage. Inci- • The drone must weigh less than
dents of a drone running out of power, 55lbs and adhere to FAA regulations, in-
the operator losing control, or in some cluding maintenance regulations; and
cases reckless operation can lead to de- • Drone operation must occur during
struction of property and/or medical in- daylight or during twilight hours, assum-
jury to others. While not as prevalent, ing there are running lights on the drone,
hackers have developed tools to inter- and the drone must be in the visual line
fere with GPS systems, which could lead of sight of the operator.
to liability issues. And one of the most
concerning issues when operating As the insurance world adapts to the
drones on a construction site is the type integration of drones into the construc-
of imagery drones may capture when fly- tion industry, it is important to establish
ing close to the borders of private prop- and implement risk management strate-
erty, which can lead to claims of invasion gies for drone activities. Always vet drone
of privacy. To be protected, the proper operators regarding their training and
amount of insurance coverage must be qualifications, and establish specific
in place, and likely your current commer- flight plans for drone usage on job sites.
cial general liability policy contains an These tactics can both assist in mitigat-
exclusion that prohibits aviation cover- ing the risks associated with commercial
age (yes, the FAA now includes drones in drone use and make the company more
its definition of “aircraft”). Therefore, do desirable in the insurance marketplace.
not assume that your company is cov- The use of drones in the construc-
ered for drone activities. tion industry can lead to exciting new
In its efforts to quickly adapt to the ventures and business successes. Ensure
increased usage of drones, the Insurance that your company is properly protected
Services Office (ISO) has issued endorse- with the right insurance coverage and
ments to better clarify the coverage ap- policy limits to safeguard your risks.
plicable to commercial drone use: the
Unmanned Aircraft Exclusion (CG 21 09) Lauren Allen is a licensed attorney in the
and the Limited Coverage for Designat- State of Texas and the Vice President of
ed Unmanned Aircraft (CG 24 50). These Sales at BrookStone Insurance Group. She
endorsements, which focus on bodily in- focuses on collaborating, innovating and
jury, property damage, and personal and delivering risk management plans tailored
advertising injury, allow the insurance to her clients’ specific needs. She can be
market to either exclude or include cov- reached at 214-301-3333 or lallen@brook-
erage for drone activities. Additionally, stone-group.com 
San Antonio Construction News • November 2017 Page 9

Improper use of extension Taking cover after the storm

and flexible cords Angela A.L. Connor, Associate/Houston office
Peckar & Abramson
Joann Natarajan Austin, TX
Compliance Assistance Specialist
OSHA
Austin, TX
T his hurricane season is on track to be one of the most
active seasons of record. Hurricane Harvey hit a vast

T he normal wear and tear on extension and flexible

cords at your site can loosen or expose wires, creat-
ing hazardous conditions. Cords that are not 3-wire
portion of the Texas coast and affected numerous con-
struction projects. A hurricane of this magnitude results
in delays and added costs to projects. As projects get
type, not designed for hard-usage, or that have been back on track after Harvey, contractors should re-review
modified, increase your risk of contacting electrical current. The most commonly their contracts to ensure compliance with all notice and documentation requirements,
found defects are: if there is a time and/or cost impact caused by the storm.
Strain Relief 29 CFR 1926.405(g)(2)(iv): Wet Conditions 29 CFR 1926.405(j)(1)(v): To be entitled to time under the
A hurricane and other “acts of God”
To reduce hazards, flexible cords When a cord connector is wet, elec-
are usually known as force majeure A201, the contractor must show there
must connect to devices and to fittings in tric current can leak to the equipment was a delay or delays to the project’s crit-
events. A force majeure event is an un-
ways that prevent tension at joints and grounding conductor, and to humans ical path. If time is requested due to ad-
avoidable circumstance beyond a con-
terminal screws. Flexible cords are finely who pick up that connector if they pro- verse weather conditions, the contractor
tractor’s control. Depending on the con-
stranded for flexibility, so straining a cord vide a path to ground. Such leakage can tract language, if a force majeure event must also submit “data substantiating
can cause the strands of one conductor occur not just on the face of the connec- occurs, a contractor may be entitled to the weather was abnormal for the period
to loosen from under terminal screws tor, but at any wetted portion. Limit ex- additional time and/or costs. of time, could not have been reasonably
and touch another conductor. posure of connectors and tools to exces- anticipated and had an adverse effect on
Cord Damage 29 CFR 1926.405(a)(2)(ii) sive moisture by using watertight or seal- Notice the scheduled construction.” Examples
(I): A flexible cord may be damaged by able connectors. In a typical construction contract, of backup would include NOAA reports
door or window edges, by staples and there are notice requirements to receive and other data showing the actual rain-
fastenings, by abrasion from adjacent How Do I Avoid Hazards? time and money for delays not caused by fall at the project site and flooding in the
materials, or simply by aging. If the elec- • Use factory-assembled cord sets. the contractor. It is critical for contractors area. A revised schedule should also be
trical conductors become exposed, there • Use only extension cords that are to immediately review the contract’s no- submitted along with the adverse weath-
is a danger of shocks, burns, or fire. 3-wire type. er data.
tice requirements to ensure compliance.
Durability 29 CFR 1926.405(a)(2)(ii)(J): • Use only extension cords that are To receive additional cost under the
Contractors should also check the con-
The OSHA construction standard re- marked with a designation code for hard tract to make sure the notice is sent in A201, the contractor must submit a com-
quires flexible cords to be rated for hard or extra-hard usage. the correct form, to all required recipi- plete itemization of costs, labor and ma-
or extra-hard usage. These ratings are de- • Use only cords, connection devices, ents, and contains all necessary content. terials. A contractor should submit time
rived from the National Electrical Code, and fittings that are equipped with strain The notice should explain the cause for sheets, payroll records, source docu-
and are required to be indelibly marked relief. the delay and reserve rights for time and ments for costs, and have their subcon-
approximately every foot along the • Remove cords from receptacles by money. It is important to note that time tractors submit the same itemized docu-
length of the cord. Examples of these pulling on the plugs, not the cords. delay is not only the actual period of the mentation. The more documentation a
codes are: S, ST, SO, and STO for hard ser- • Continually audit cords on-site. Any storm. Contractors need to take into ac- contractor can include the better chance
vice, and SJ, SJO, SJT, and SJTO for junior cords found not to be marked for hard or count the limited access to the project they have of getting additional time and
hard service. extra-hard use, or which have been mod- money.
site, changes conditions at the project
Grounding 29 CFR 1926.405(a)(2)(ii)(C): ified, must be taken out of service imme- site (e.g. muddy conditions), and demo- Lastly, there are usually time limits to
Extension cords must be 3-wire type diately. bilization and remobilization time. Addi- submit the documentation for change
so they may be grounded, and to permit natarajan.joann@dol.gov orders. It is imperative for contractors to
tionally, contractors should consult with
grounding of any tools or equipment 512-374-0271 x232 scrutinize their contracts and determine
their subcontractors and suppliers. A
connected to them. shortage of labor, materials and/or the applicable time period to submit the
equipment would likely cause more de- documentation.
lay than the actual storm. While hopefully we will never see an-
By now, contractors likely know the other storm like Harvey again, there will
full effect of the storm’s aftermath to be future force majeure events. Comply-
their project schedule and costs. Con- ing with all notice requirements and sub-
Industry FOLKS tractors will now need to send a supple-
mental notice detailing the additional
mitting detailed documentation will help
prevent a disaster to your bottom line.
time and costs. Under the AIA Document Angela Connor is a construction law-
Michelle White A201TM – 2007 General Conditions yer in Peckar & Abramson, P.C.’s Houston
(“A201”), an extension of time and addi- office. She represents a wide range of con-
Office Manager tional costs are altered by a change or- struction industry clients and focuses her
Leonard Contracting Inc. der.1 This means documentation is re- practice on construction-related disputes
quired. and contract negotiations and drafting.
Angela can be contacted at aconnor@
Documentation pecklaw.com or 281.953.7705.
B eing a single mom is no easy task,
but neither is being an office man-
ager for a busy construction company.
1
AIA recently released the 2017 version
of the AIA Documents. This article fo-
cuses on the 2007 version because most
Michelle White, however, seems to
ongoing projects are contracted under
have them both under control.
White was born in San Antonio. isn’t anything I don’t like about my job. the 2007 version.
Six weeks after she was born, her fa- No two projects are the same. I love
ther, an active member of the U.S. Air the people here at LCI; they are my sec-
Force would move her family from ond family.”
state to state as many military families White has been with the company In memory of
do. She lived in numerous states across for 15 years. As office manager, White
the U.S. as well as in Italy for two years handles the company’s accounts pay-
and England for seven. “My parents able, accounts receivables and payroll
liked England so much, my dad kept among other necessary duties. She
extending our stay.” Her family re- also serves as the company’s safety di-
turned to the U.S. when White was in rector.
the seventh grade. “I graduated high An active member of Parkhills
school in Abilene. After I graduated, Baptist Church, she enjoys teaching
we moved back to San Antonio where 3-year-olds about the gospel for
I attended and graduated from San Parkhills’ Sunday school program. In
Antonio College with an Applied Sci- addition to teaching, she also enjoys
ence in Word Processing degree.” working in the Kitchen Ministry and
Michelle is the proud mother of volunteers at “Taking it to the Streets-
her only child, Brooke, who will be Boerne,” an organization that provides
graduating from Texas A & M Galves- dinner for the homeless every Saturday
ton in December with a Bachelor’s De-
gree in Marine Biology.
night downtown.
A big fan of NASCAR, White enjoys
J ames Leroy “Jimmy” Beicker
of J.L. Beicker Company passed
away Oct. 10. A memorial service
“Before I came to work for Leonard watching and attends NASCAR races
celebrating his life was held Oct. 16
Contracting, I worked for a roofing every chance she gets. She has also re- at Faith Lutheran Church. He was
company in the Dallas/Fort Worth cently taken up golfing and enjoys fish- married to his wife Mary Molberg
area. Coming to work for Leonard Con- ing and a wide range of other outdoor Beicker for 42 years. Together they
tracting was a perfect fit for me. There activities. -cmw had two daughters and seven
grandchildren. –cmw
Page 10 San Antonio Construction News • November 2017

Family masters
electricity

L-R: Gary and Annette Weddle, president

and vice president of Masters Electrical
Services Ltd.

A
s a teenager, Gary Weddle started
working for an electrician at
nights, on the weekends and dur-
ing the summer. After graduating from
high school in Seguin, he found himself
working in Austin for another electrician.
As a matter of fact, he worked for electri-
cians his entire life until he decided he
wanted to work for himself.
On July 1, 2006 Weddle became the
president and co-owner of Masters Elec-
trical Services Ltd. “My partner, Rick
Reiley, and I had known each other for
years. When Rick decided he was going
to leave Anderson, a door opened and
presented an opportunity for us to pur-
chase Anderson Electric. They had an ex-
isting client base and equipment which
was something we had wanted, so we
utilized it.
“In 2014 Rick came to a crossroads
and decided he wanted to do something
else. My wife Annette and I are now run-
ning the company,” says Weddle.
Truly a family-oriented company, the
Weddles’ two sons, Justin and Dylan
and daughter Alyssa Spaw, are all in-
volved in the company as well as their
son-in-law Josh and his dad, Rick. “Our
goal is to have our kids take over the busi-
ness some day. That is why I have them
spread out doing what they are doing.
We have lots of relatives and cousins and
other people that work here. We have
learned that you can always trust family
and it has really worked out well for us.”
Masters Electrical Services Ltd. is a sub-
contractor in Seguin, TX. –cmw

In memory of

J oe Pena, a long time friend and

valued employee of Allen & Allen
Company passed away Oct. 2. Born
Jun. 25, 1956, Joe lived a full life. He
was married to the love of his life,
Ruby, for 34 years and the proud fa-
ther of three children Mary, Anna
and Joseph. He was a loving and af-
fectionate grandpa of three, Chris-
tian, Ava and Aubrey.
Joe’s celebration of life was held
Monday, Oct. 9 at 4:00pm at Mission
Park Funeral Chapels & Cemeteries,
3401 Cherry Ridge Dr. –cmw
San Antonio Construction News • November 2017 Page 11
Don’t overlook
winter fishing
by Capt. Steve Schultz
Sponsored by:
Waypoint Marine, Majek Boats, Evinrude
Outboards, Fishing Tackle Unlimited,
E-Z Bel Construction, Costa Sunglasses,
Diawa Reels, Power Pole Shallow Water
Anchor, Aggregate Haulers, ForEverlast
Fishing Products, Interstate Batteries,
MirrOlure, and AFTCO Clothing
B
y the time you this article, I am hop-
ing we will be in some sort of fall
weather pattern. These hot days
are getting old and this writer is ready for
some cooler weather. The last few
months have been a struggle for every-
one in the Coastal Bend as we are still try-
ing to get on our feet after Hurricane Har-
vey. I’m looking forward to some winter
wade fishing for trophy trout in the up-
per and lower Laguna Madre.
Our fishing report lately has been
rather sporadic with the extreme high
tides we’ve had for several weeks. Water
levels have been elevated at least two
feet above average and that makes fish-
ing not so consistent. Everyday seems to
be a challenge staying on fish because
they are so scattered throughout our bay
system. What you do one day may not
necessarily work on the next day, even
though all conditions remain the same.
Needless to say, we are covering a lot of
water each day, including water that typi-
David Biesenbach of San Antonio had a stellar day fishing last month with Steve Schultz
Outdoors. David managed to catch his limit of trout up to 27 in. and a limit of slot redfish.
cally we could not get to earlier in the
year. Trout and redfish are still our pri-
mary target fish and black drum when
they are available. I’m hoping for some
colder weather so we can possibly target
some flounder also. Bull reds are still be-
ing caught with schools of 100-200 fish in
the 34 to 48-inch range. These schools
when found can test your equipment
and stamina as there is no giving up in
these fish. Recently, we boated 16 bull
reds in a morning before my clients threw
in the towel.
Looking into the winter months, and
I’m talking about January and February, I
trips. If you are interested in either of the
winter wade fishing packages don’t hesi-
tate to give me a call to discuss rates and
packages.
I still have several open dates for the
2017 season, and my 2018 calendar is also
open for bookings. Don’t hesitate in
booking your fishing trips because my
dates usually go pretty quick, especially
during the more popular months. I’m
also offering some trophy and manage-
ment deer hunts in South Texas if you are
interested. Please call me for specifics
and pricing. To schedule your next bay
fishing trip or hunting trip give Capt.
Steve Schultz a call at 361-813-3716 or
361-334-3105 or e-mail him at Steve-
SchultzOutdoors@gmail.com.
Good luck and Good Fishing.
will be offering wade fishing trips in both
the upper and lower Laguna Madre.
These trips will be primarily targeting tro-
phy trout with artificial lures while wad-
ing. As most of you know, this is the best
months for targeting big sow trout for
the wall. If you’re looking for a single day
trip or a multiple day trip I can accommo-
date either. The Port Mansfield trip will
include accommodations in a luxurious
five-bedroom house that will sleep up to
10 fishermen. The Laguna house has all
comforts of home with a large outdoor
deck and cooking area to entertain cli-
ents and guests. A two-day minimum is
required for the Lower Laguna Madre
Page 12 San Antonio Construction News • November 2017
Fall & Winter Fishing
by Max Milam
C
ooling water temperatures start a
feeding frenzy. The fish are start-
ing to develop eggs and need to
eat more to get ready for the spring
spawn. In terms of striper and white bass
this means huge schools of feeding fish
slowly migrating towards their spring
spawning areas. With a little experience
and some good electronics a fisherman
can capitalize on some of the best and
most overlooked fishing of the year. I
know it’s also time to be out in the field
hunting Buckzilla, but what can beat
spending a Friday night in the hunting
camp frying up some fresh fish with good
company?
Fall striper fishing is some of the
most exciting fishing, hands down. The
cold fronts can make it a little tricky to
get a comfortable day on the water, but
can also trigger some of the best feeding
frenzies of the year. The cooling waters
and ample forage fish from the spring
and summer bait spawns create some of
the best schooling top water action the
year has to offer. I have seen schools up
to three acres feeding on the surface in
late October into mid-November. The
stripers are usually easy to find this time
of year, even when not feeding on top.
The easiest way is to find a wind-
Ken Milam’s Fishing Line
Since 1981, Ken Milam has been guiding fishing trips for striped bass on Lake
Buchanan in the Texas Hill Country, You can hear Ken on the radio as follows:
The Great Outdoors: 5-8 am Saturday on 1300, The Zone, Austin and
The Great Outdoors: 5-7 am Saturday on 1200 WOAI San Antonio
The Sunday Sportsman: 6-8 am Sunday on 1300, The Zone, Austin
All on iHeart Radio
blown bank. Then look for a submerged
structure that offers an ambush point for
the fish to take advantage of – remember
they are predators. I like to look for ledg-
es, humps, and long points with fast
drops. Anything that offers a fast change
in depth has the potential to hold both
quality fish and large numbers of fish. If
you don’t want to spend the time needed
to locate the fish, and you just want to
spend some time on the water, just call
your favorite fishing guide.
White bass are one of the most pop-
ular fish in our area, but they are often
not targeted much in the fall and winter.
Spring time is not the best time to catch
white bass. Winter white bass fishing is
one of my favorite types of fishing. On
any given day from November through
February I can typically take the boat out
for an hour or two and have a limit of nice
fat white bass. They are easy to find and
tend to follow similar patterns to the
stripers, but they usually are found fur-
ther up the river system than the stripers.
They tend to stage around the mouth of
the rivers they spawn in during the
spring, and can be found using electron-
Half or Full Day Fishing Trips
ics. My favorite way to catch white bass is All Bait, Tackle & Equipment
to drop jigging spoons to the depth that Furnished
the fish are holding at, and then hang on.
You will know when you’ve got the right Your catch Filleted and
bait at the right depth. Once again if you Bagged for You
don’t have time, between work and chas-
ing Buckzilla, then give your favorite fish- Furnish your TPWD Fishing
ing guide a call and they can do the leg Ken Milam Guide Service License & Refreshments,
work for you. (325) 379-2051 and WE DO THE REST!
www.striperfever.com
San Antonio Construction News • November 2017 Page 13
Page 14 San Antonio Construction News • November 2017
A new generation of painting
P
atricio Cuellar taught his boys at an
early age how to become hard
working individuals with a good
work ethic by getting them involved and
teaching them a skill that might someday
benefit them. “I used to go out to the
jobsites with my dad during the summer,
at nights or weekends and he would
teach me and my brothers. It didn’t mat-
ter if we went out and had a good time
with our friends or not, dad made sure
we were up and out there working and
learning. That mentality really paid off,”
says Andres Cuellar.
When the recession hit the San Anto-
nio market, Andres Cuellar told his dad he
was going to start doing some sub work.
He started doing that in Boerne with
Smith Painting, saved up some money
and before long he was in a position to
start a business of his own. “I saved up
some money, got a website up and run-
ning and from there I just kept going,”
says Cuellar. “I started with a lot of resi-
dential jobs. Slowly, I began getting
some commercial work. This year, espe-
cially, I have had more commercial work
than ever.”
Andres Cuellar, owner of Texas Professional Painting
Cuellar was 24 years old when he start-
ed his own painting company, Texas Pro-
fessional Painting. Now at the age of 33,
he looks back with pride and adoration at
the opportunities his dad set in motion for
him. “Learning the commercial side of busi-
ness is like the science of painting. It is
about as difficult as you can get, I think. Did
it help me, yes, because my dad did a lot of
commercial. For a guy to just jump into the
painting industry without some kind of
background would not be easy.
“Harold Radicke retired from Triangle
Painting and came to work for my dad as
an estimator because he wanted to stay
busy. My dad told him, ‘teach Andres,
show him what he needs to know.’ So he
did. After I graduated from St. Mary’s, he
taught me how to read blueprints. He
would take me to job meetings. He had
me reading all the specs, ordering the
materials, cost analysis, price per square
foot, everything I needed to know. He be-
came my mentor.”
Cuellar is married with 4-year-old
twin girls. He, his wife Ashley and the
twins Emma and Olivia spend every Sun-
day with his parents. He also does Cross
Fit five to six times a week and says it is an
additional stress relief for him.
“I have no regrets whatsoever going
into the painting industry. I like what I do.”
Texas Professional Printing is a painting
subcontractor in the S.A. area. -cmw
San Antonio Construction News • November 2017 Page 15

New address

In April 2017, KGC (Krueger General Contracting) Construction Services relocated

to their new offices at 11718 Warfield. On Oct. 12, KGC hosted an open house to show
off their new facility. –cmw L-R: KGC team Lucas Nadeau, Steve Mathwes,
Rudy Chavez, Jay Rose, Cindy Herrin, Joe Riddle, and Aaron Krueger
Page 16 San Antonio Construction News • November 2017
THIS
Jan: Construction Forecast Mar: Construction Education May: Concrete Industry July: Electrical Industry
Feb: Construction Safety Apr: Women in Construction Jun: HVAC & Plumbing Aug: Service Providers
Promises in design
Aaron Dahl, Co-founder & Partner
Acuform Architecture
San Antonio, TX
C elebrating ten years in practice, Acuform Architec-
ture prides themselves on referrals and repeat clien-
tele, assisting clients with all aspects of private sector
commercial work and aiding in the process from initial
site selections and securing governmental approvals
through getting doors open and processing warranty
claims. The hallmarks of their service include their candid, sometimes blunt, commu-
nications, and their ability to remain accessible to their clients throughout the entire
design and build process.
Describing the construction industry able for businesses small and large, and
as healthy, Dahl says “San Antonio has organizations that were holding steady
been well-positioned to take advantage for the longest time are now moving for-
of the growth specifically with regards to ward with plans for expansion. Another
military, medical, and housing. I am confi- factor we’re starting to see is some new
dent that the recent growth in this market faces emerge as decision makers in key
will domino into other areas of construc- markets as the baby boomer generation
tion and we will have several years to continues to move into retirement. This
come of steady continued work. younger generation is more willing to take
​ “Business activities have increased on capital debt to secure a better future
over the past twelve months. The growth than their predecessors.”
has been good for businesses’ bottom Maintaining the level of service and
line, but general contractors are having an quality that their clients have come to ex-
extremely difficult time getting subcon- pect has been challenging. Owners are
tractors to even look at projects. Subcon- putting more pressure on design profes-
tractors are unable to find talented work- sionals and contractors to get things done
ers, leading to increased construction faster - the QA/QC tends to take a back
costs and less-than-perfect construction. burner in the interest of getting the doors
​ “The business community, like Wall open. “My partner, Shawn Willis, and I find
Street, is bullish about the future. The en- ourselves spending our weekends redlin-
vironment in Washington is more favor- ing drawings, reading field reports and
Bringing engineering home
David Eastwood, President
Geotech Engineering & Testing
Houston, TX
H ow would you describe the state of the construc-
tion industry in general terms? Have you experi-
enced an increase in business? Slowdown?
In our experience, the construction industry started
off slow, but started to stabilize towards the second half
of the year.
What factors are driving this slow- vital to our city’s economy, if there is a
down? slowdown, the result is less people mov-
One of the most notable factors for ing to Houston, which in turn means less
us relating to a decrease in business is the houses are being built.
Petrochemical Industry slowdown.
What are the “hot button” issues in
How has this slowdown affected your your industry?
company and how you conduct busi- The “hot button” issues in our indus-
ness? try mainly consist of qualifications and
Some of our major clientele include speed in which we can deliver our ser-
homebuilders and land development vices to the client.
companies. With oil and gas being so
www.constructionnews.net
publishing the industry’s news
Architecture &
TH Engineering
MON
Sept: Green Building
Oct: Specialty Contractors Dec: Construction Equipment
prioritizing tasks for the coming week.”
The “hot button” issue in the architec-
tural/engineering industry is sustainabili-
ty. “Unfortunately, this term has been
commandeered by the green building
people, but it’s more than just selecting
efficient mechanical systems and renew-
able materials. Clients expect their build-
ings to last 70-80 years. Clients who al-
ready own and operate existing facilities
are keenly aware of how much it costs to
operate and maintain an older building.
We are constantly trying to remain abreast
of current technologies in order to pro-
vide our clients a durable, low mainte-
nance facility for not just years, but gen-
erations to come,” adds Dahl.
Major changes in the industry, in re-
cent years are the rapid adoption of sus-
tainable design principles. This has driven
design like never before. Many items that
used to be part of the LEED(R) require-
ments have been adopted by the Interna-
tional Code Council and are now required
by law. It seems like every three years de-
signers have a whole new layer of sustain-
able design elements that are required by
code. Design professionals and contrac-
tors are continuously educating clients
who are always seeking a good value.​
Some elements with a short payback pe-
riod are defensible, but there are a lot of
things required by code that don’t make
much sense for most owners.
In addition, labor shortages continue
to be the most significant challenges in
the industry. “Clients are willing to pay for
what they need, but across the design and
What are the major changes in the in-
dustry in recent years relating to the
type of work you do?
A high increase in new companies
entering the Houston market would
probably be the major change in our in-
dustry. This makes it so much more com-
petitive in attracting business.
What is the most significant challenge
your industry faces? Labor shortages?
Cost increases?
The most significant challenge for
this industry is still the constant fluctua-
tion of our economy.
What are the cost increases relating to
your industry?
Cost increases include the cost of la-
bor, and parts and maintenance for our rigs
has constantly increased over the years.
How are you dealing with these chal-
lenges?
Vetting of suppliers is a common
practice of ours now, as well as the con-
Texas
Style
Nov: Architecture & Engineering
build industries we simply cannot find
the right talent to fill the positions out
there,” say Dahl.
Designers are starting to see some
influences of the sharing economy on
design. For years, clients have been look-
ing for adaptable spaces, but now even
large organizations are recognizing the
value a small portion of their building
may have for other organizations or small
businesses. Much as houses are now be-
ing designed with Airbnb suites, “owner-
occupied” buildings are considering
ways to partially separate new facilities to
accommodate small tenants.
​ All design professionals must offer a
value proposition to their clients in the
form of a better-built environment at a
lower upfront and ongoing cost. “We
achieve this through creative design so-
lutions tailored to our clients’ specific
needs that utilize practical and cost ef-
fective construction systems. The trade-
marks of our service are working as a
team with the Owner and the Contractor
in order to produce the most successful
result possible.”
In conclusion, Dahl says, “The great-
est reward is a referral from a client we
worked with five or ten years ago. It’s a
testament to our skills and foresight ​that
a client from several years ago continues
to appreciate their facility and recognizes
the role that Acuform played in getting it
built.”
​ Acuform Architecture is a full-service
design firm focused on private sector com-
mercial work. –cmw
sideration for vendors with pricing be-
coming so stringent.
What is on the horizon for your industry?
Multiple advances in drilling equip-
ment and engineering software has helped
expedite our processes and procedures.
Incoming changes in qualification require-
ments for city jobs will also help in select-
ing a more broad variety of companies.
What are the rewards of the industry?
The feeling of assurance that peo-
ple’s foundation will be well designed
and the soil will be accounted for.
What are keys to being successful in
the industry?
I think it is most important to focus
on various sector markets to explore, as
well as keeping up with our company’s
reputation of working adequately, quick-
ly, and affordably.
Geotech Engineering & Testing specializ-
es in geotechnical, materials testing, environ-
mental, and forensic engineering services. - te
★ San Antonio
★ Austin
★ South Texas
★ Houston
San Antonio Construction News • November 2017 Page 17
NEXT
MON
If you would like to represent your company in an upcoming FOCUS, contact your SA Editor for an Interview
Carol Wiatrek (210) 308-5800 SAEditor@ConstructionNews.net
“Robust environment of work”
Rob Welker, President and Partner
Hoefer Wysocki Architecture
Dallas, TX
W hat are the “hot button” issues in your industry?
• The client profile – Each client requires a different
type of service from our firm. This demands that we be flex-
ible and adaptable to meet stringent requirements on the
government side, tight budgets on the private sector, and
a performance driven environment at an institutional level.
What are the “hot button” issues in your mity and over inflation in delivery of
industry? projects. Our focus on performance
• Beyond the building – Architecture identifies key driving issues that help
is our craft, but it is not all about our projects navigate the complexity
building. As a result of our strategic of the construction environment.
approach on performance, we are • Construction cost escalation – Diffi-
looking for ways to create value for cult to control costs, AE fees are at risk
our clients. This complex process cul- • Urbanism – More people are moving
minates into inspiring and engaging to the city unlike their parents. The
environments that affect our quality younger work force are interested in
of life. city living and the amenities. This will
• Economy – We are at a great point continue putting pressure on how we
where there is great opportunity for provide enough supply of housing/
designing and constructing new fa- schools/retail to the increasing pollu-
cilities. It is also a good time to focus tion of the urban core. Public transpor-
our energy into meaningful and im- tation is a must.
pactful engagements. For this rea-
son, we provide a fully integrated What are the major changes in recent
service for each of our clients, which years relating to the type of work that
allows them to make the most edu- you do?
cated decision that will allow them Implementation of technology and
to be successful while creating grace- more accurate digital models have allowed
ful architecture that reflects their the opportunity for more robust communi-
ambition. cation at the conception of a project all the
• Work force – The ability of skilled way to construction administration of a
workers, because of economic de- project. As we make early decisions of de-
mand, has created a robust environ- sign, we can now look in real-time the im-
ment of work. This leads to confor- pact on energy consumption, budget,
Opportunities are up in
architecture
Michael Malone, FAIA
Past President, Texas Society of Architects
Austin, TX
Founding Principal
Malone Maxwell Borson Architects
Dallas, TX
H ow would you describe the state of
the construction industry in gener-
al terms?
our office environment and technology. It
has made us more selective about the work
we undertake, demonstrated in more ap-
It’s wonderful! The level of activity and propriate fees and more satisfactory busi-
optimism is fueling tremendous opportu- ness relationships.
nities.
What are the “hot button” issues in your
Has the architectural industry seen an industry?
increase in business or a slowdown? With all of this growth, there are nega-
There’s a palpable increase since the tives: lack of available qualified staff, higher
recession, and it’s understandable in terms construction costs and the impact on the
of increased projects, challenges finding environment and quality of life this much
qualified staff in a strong job market and building represents.
the ability to build backlog and security.
What have been the major changes in
What factors are driving this increase? the architectural industry in recent
For our firm and clients, the primary years?
driver seems to be the attractiveness of The continuing impact of technology
Texas, and Dallas specifically. The contin- in the way we practice and the inherent
ued influx of people has created opportu- ways it allows services to be commoditized
nities for growth in virtually every sector of are the main changes we see. This has been
professional services. an ongoing issue, and we don’t know yet if
the result is less thoughtful and less-care-
How has this increase affected the in- fully made buildings.
dustry and how you conduct business? What is the most significant challenge
It has allowed us to expand our staff, your industry faces?
offer them better benefits and upgrade I believe it’s the commoditization of
Construction
TH Equipment
timeline and overall experience.
Predictive analytics has allowed us
to test in real-time that potential out-
come of functional decisions in planning
and design. We are seeing a shift from an
evidence-based design approach to a re-
sults-driven approach that takes into ac-
count current and relevant data that is
customizable and unique on geographi-
cal location.
Public/Private/Partnerships (P3) are
gaining acceptance to fund for revenue
generating projects.
What are the most significant challeng-
es your industry faces?
One challenge is integration in project
delivery to assure functional and perfor-
mance results that add value to our clients.
A growing list of threats happening
nationally and internationally – from the
wrath of Mother Nature to local and
global sponsored terrorism, is causing a
void of much-needed regional suppliers
to the new/immediate buyers.
Labor shortage of skilled workers in
the construction industry is impacting
cost and timely building turnover. The
construction industry is reaching out to
educational institutions like high schools
and community colleges to create part-
nerships with them to ensure future sup-
ply of skilled labor.
What is on the horizon for your indus-
try?
• Rearrangement and reorganization of
financial approach to project delivery.
Partnering with industry leaders to ad-
vance healthcare delivery, creating
better educational models that meet
today’s demands and think big when it
comes to urban design to reassure
social equity and resilience.
professional services, the idea that everyone
does the same thing and offers the same
product. Differentiating yourself and your
firm in the present environment is very chal-
lenging but increasingly necessary.
What are the costs increases related to
your industry?
Salaries go up in strong construction
markets, but beyond that, the largest costs
continue to be in the areas of staff support
and benefits.
How are you dealing with these chal-
lenges?
As a firm, we’re committed to a certain
level of salary and reasonably generous
benefits for all our staff. We build our busi-
ness plan for the year with these costs (and
associated overhead) as the basis for what
we need to do and how we need to per-
form. Once we know we have these costs
covered, we’re able to plan for profitability
and additional expenses. We invest heavily
in technology when we’re busy knowing
we can’t afford this when times are leaner.
What changes are on the horizon for
• Filling the gap between the millenni-
als’ wants to the baby boomers’
needs. Designing and delivering
flexible spaces and finding creative
ways to give everyone flexibility.
How does this affect how you conduct
business?
First and most of all it affects our
people by creating an emphasis on intel-
lectual capacity more so than produc-
tion. It also makes sure that our studio
structure is a catalyst for good ideas and
a vehicle for our stellar design leaders to
make an impact in their communities and
our business.
What factors do you feel are driving
this?
Technological advancement in rapid
prefab, 3-D printing and augmented real-
ity will continue to impact how buildings
are designed and built. With the rise in
labor cost and shortage of skilled labor,
these technologies will be the future.
Right now, we are reaching the tipping
point to move more into the highly auto-
mated building construction industry.
Increasing pressure to reduce energy
consumption and impact on the environ-
ment will shape how buildings are de-
signed and built. More strict regulation
will force the construction industry to re-
invent itself.
Hoefer Wysocki Architecture is a full-ser-
vice architecture, planning and interior de-
sign firm with offices in Dallas and Kansas
City. The firm focuses on healthcare, commer-
cial, retail, hospitality/entertainment/multi-
family, government, judicial, education and
urban and master planning projects. –mjm
your industry?
We’re always sensitive to changes in
the economy and ready for it to retrench or
slow down. Regardless, we feel certain
Texas will do as well or better than the rest
of the country, and that gives us comfort.
We do wish the state were more fo-
cused on issues of educational quality and
appropriately funding it for the long-term
benefits it promises. We see this lack of co-
herent educational policy and the dispari-
ties in funding and outcomes as a potential
long-term issue for the state, perhaps the
greatest issue.
What is rewarding about working in
your industry?
Creating the built environment is a gift
and a privilege. To work with clients and
contractors to create and build something
is the most rewarding thing in the world.
The Texas Society of Architects, with 15 re-
gional chapters and 7,000 members, is one of
the nation’s largest organizations for the ar-
chitectural profession. It is headquartered in
Austin. - ke
Page 18 San Antonio Construction News • November 2017
Where are the clowns?
C ome one. Come all. The circus has come to town. Well, not technically, but as far
as the Associated General Contractors (AGC) were concerned, it did as that was the
theme for AGC’s 24th Annual Safety Fair & BBQ Cook-off which was held on Oct. 7 at
the Helotes Fair Grounds. -cmw
1st Place Chicken: Crownhill Builders Inc.
1st Place Ribs
Bartlett Cocke General Contractors
photo courtesy of Mary Haskin
Construction Industry Events
1st Place Brisket: Alterman Inc.
1st Place Showmanship
Architectural Division 8
29 teams participated in the barbeque
cook-off and the winners are:
Category I: Chicken
2nd Place: Comfort-Air Engineering Inc.
3rd Place: Gavin Steel Fabricating Inc.
Category II: Ribs
2nd Place: Alpine Contracting
3rd Place: Comfort-Air Engineering Inc.
Safe Specialty Contractor of the Year
Alterman Inc.
Safe General Contractor of the Year – Category II
Sundt Construction Inc.
Never forgotten
L-R: Mike Grendell, Midco Sling of San Antonio; Ted Dunnam, ESC Safety Consultants
listen as OSHA Area Director, Alex Porter reads the names of jobsite fatalities.
S
afety is a priority on every jobsite,
regardless of construction value.
More than 170 industry profession-
als registered for the 2nd Annual Con-
struction Safety Summit Oct. 4 at the Al-
zafar Shrine Temple. Committee Chair
Ted Dunnam of ESC Safety Consultants
originally conceptualized this idea two
years ago after watching the construc-
tion fatalities in San Antonio increase.
OSHA Area Director, Alex Porter,
discussed the continued importance of
safety in construction before taking a
Registrants listen and learn during one of the three sessions held at the 2nd Annual
Safety Summit.
Category III: Brisket
2nd Place: Tri-Tech
3rd Place: Young Bros. Fire Protection
Inc.
Showmanship
2nd Place: Baker Triangle
3rd Place: Galaxy Builders Ltd.
Safe General Contractor of the
Year – Category I
Zachry Construction Corporation
photo courtesy of Mary Haskin
Larry Westbrook Safety Superintendent Award
David Winkelmann, Bartlett Cocke
General Contractors
moment of silence as he read the list of
names of those who died in jobsite acci-
dents in the past two years.
The seven-hour event hosted by the
American Subcontractors Association
(ASA), ESC Safety Consultants, Midco
Sling, OSHA, and Zachry, and incorpo-
rated three sessions on various safety
topics, including an owner’s session with
Alex Porter. The goal of the event was to
assist companies in embracing a safety
culture. –cmw
San Antonio Construction News • November 2017 Page 19

Hosted by Construction Industry Associations

Braving the elements Cards & more

D espite the on-going drizzle, more than 150 individuals participated in the 40th
Annual Hunter’s Symposium Sept. 27 at Bexar Community Shooting Range in
Marion, TX. Long-time member, Louis Mosel, LC Mosel Company celebrated his 90th
birthday at the event. The event was hosted by MCA-SMACNA. Photos courtesty of
Mary Haskin photography. -cmw
Bullseye winner: Adam Vega
Guest Rifle Division winners:
1st Place: Matt Landrum, NEISD
2nd Place: Rick Barrera, IMEG Corp
3rd Place: Ian Vohwinkle, MS2 Consulting
Associate Rifle Division winners:
1st Place: Chuck Baumgarten, PMI
2nd Place: Frank Tuttle, Texas Air Systems
3rd Place: David Bugge, PMI
Member Rifle Division winners:
1st Place: Chuck Clark, Service Mechanical
Group
2nd Place: Scott Braune, The Brandt Co.
3rd Place: Mark Zinsmeister, Service
Mechanical Group
Ridiculous Rifle winner: William Wilson,
Tezel & Cotter
Expert Trap winner: Hayward Decker,
AJ Monier
Guest Trap Division winners:
1st Place: Roy Jackson, Retiree
2nd Place: John Scott, Retiree
3rd Place: Phillip Allen, Christus Santa Rosa
Associate Trap Division winners:
1st Place: Ken Brothers, Siemens Industry
2nd Place: John Cook, Mechanical Reps
3rd Place: Andrew Rodriguez, Texas Air
Products
Member Trap Division winners:
1st Place: Jeremy Jones, M&M Metals
2nd Place: Mike Bachofer, LC Mosel Co.
3rd Place: Joe Cavicchi, The Brandt Co.
A salsa taste-off, a pour-off and a Texas
Hold’em tournament makes for a
2nd Place Salsa: MEMCO
2nd Place Best Non-Frozen: KCM
great time with great people. The Ameri- Cabinets Inc.
can Subcontractors Association (ASA) 2nd Place Best Frozen: KCM Cabinets Inc.
held its annual Pour-off, Texas Hold ‘em & 2nd Place Best Bar Set-Up:
Terrible Trap winner: Jim Rodriguez, Salsa Taste-off Sept. 21 at Aggie Park. RidoutBarrett -cmw
James T Rodriguez Consulting
Expert Skeet winner: Justin Odom,
Performance Contracting
Guest Skeet Division winners:
1st Place: Brian Keller, Cleary Zimmermann
2nd Place: Clint Uhlman, Spaw Glass
3rd Place: Michael Arreguin, CBRE
Associate Skeet Division winners:
1st Place: Aaron Caldwell, Texas Air Sys.
2nd Place: Scott Hutcheson, Texas Air Sys.
3rd Place: Kenner Coon, Texas Air Products
Member Skeet Division winners: 1st Place Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament:
1st Place Best Salsa: KCM Cabinets Inc. Jack Magee, KCM Cabinets Inc.
1st Place: Richard Schmidt, The Brandt Co.
2nd Place: Darrell Hagendorf, The Brandt Co.
3rd Place: Deborah Wertheim, LC Mosel
Shoddy Skeet winner: Jim Knight,
Siemens Industry
1st Place Best Non-Frozen Drink:
1st Place Best Frozen Drink: RidoutBarrett Fire Alarm Control Systems
1st Place Best Bar
Set-Up:
National Association
of Women in
Construction (NAWIC)
San Antonio
Louis Mosel poses for a photo in front of his
90th Birthday cake

Photos by
Mary Haskin
Photography

Paul Tezel, Tezel & Cotter, pops out of Louis Mosel, LC Mosel Company’s 90th Birthday cake

1st Place Member Rifle winner Chuck Clark, 1st Place Associate Trap: Ken Brothers,
Service Mechanical Group Siemens Industry

1st Place Associate Skeet: Aaron Caldwell, 1st Place Member Skeet: Richard Schmidt,
Texas Air Systems The Brandt Companies
Page 20 San Antonio Construction News • November 2017
Construction make-up
Ruben Losoya in one of his water features for the 54th Street restaurant chain.
W
hen you are new to an area and
just purchased a new home and
can’t find a landscaper to do any-
thing for you, what do you do? The only
logical course to take is to purchase a fran-
chise. That’s exactly what Ruben Losoya
with Losoya Industries LLC did when he
moved to Boerne from Houston, TX.
“After we bought our house in
Boerne, we could not find a landscaper.
One day I called up US Lawns and pur-
chased their San Antonio franchise. It
was an existing franchise owned by Val-
ley Crest. They are well-known for doing
Disneyland and other high profile hotels
and resorts,” says Losoya.
Purchasing this franchise could not
have happened at a better time. As it
turned out, Valley Crest had just taken
over the install for the La Cantera Mall
project. Valley Crest who used to be in
San Antonio was now in Austin and the
only thing they had in San Antonio was
the franchise Losoya had just purchased.
Talk about luck!
“We were the main installer for the
project, doing about 80 percent of the in-
stall. The thing I remember most about
that contract was it was the hottest I had
ever experienced, 115 degrees with a
heat index of probably 120 degrees.”
From there it was gang-busters for
Losoya. Not only was he doing installs,
but also he was venturing into landfills
and land erosion control which was all
part of the franchise’s scopes of work. In
addition to that, the company started
moving into trash pickup, highway mow-
ing, guardrails, asphalt patching, culverts,
concrete work for sidewalks and curbs,
irrigation and water features, which
opened even more doors.
After six years of operating under the
US Lands franchise, Losoya left the fran-
chise in 2010 and continued on as Losoya
Industries LLC .
Losoya Industries LLC is a specialty
subcontractor servicing San Antonio and
the surrounding areas. -cmw
Association Calendar
Content submitted by Associations to Construction News
ABC
Associated Builders & Contractors Inc.
Nov. 9: BBQ Cook-off, 5am–5pm, National
Shooting Complex, 5931 Roft Rd. For more
info, contact Ruby Trejo at 210-342-1994
Nov. 9: Sporting Clay Shoot, 1–6pm, Na-
tional Shooting Complex, 5931 Roft Rd. For
more info, Ruby Trejo at 210-342-1994
AGC
American General Contractors
Nov. 16: Casino Night & Construction In-
dustry Awards, The Club at Sonterra, 901 E.
Sonterra Blvd. For more info, 210-349-4921.
AIA
American Institute of Architects
Nov. 29: People + Place Celebration, AIA
San Antonio Design Awards, ZaZa Gardens,
723 S. Flores St. For more info, contact Be-
linda Sanchez at 210-226-4979
ASA
American Subcontractors Association
Nov. 2: Trenching Safety Day, CPS at Perrin
Beitel. For info,Jennifer Swinney at Jenni-
fer@asasanantonio.org or 210-349-2105
Nov. 7: Speed Networking, Old San Fran-
cisco Steakhouse, 10223 Sahara Dr. For
more info, contact Jennifer Swinney at Jen-
nifer@asasanantonio.org or 210-349-2105
ASCE
American Society of Civil Engineers
Nov. 10: ASCE 17th Annual YM Golf Tourna-
ment, Olympia Hills Golf & Conference Cen-
ter, 12900 Mount Olympus. For info, contact
Anna Leija at asceym.sa@gmail.com
ASSE
American Society of Safety Engineers
Nov. 7 – 8: ASSE Future Leadership Confer-
ence, Westin Lombard Yorktown Center, 70
Yorktown Center, Lombard, IL. For more
info, email: info@southtexas-asse.org
CFMA
Construction Financial Mgmt Assn
Nov. 28: Breakfast Roundtable, Location
TBD. For more info, contact Janet Bridger at
210-572-6118 or janet.bridger@rsmus.com
GSABA
Greater San Antonio Builders Association
Nov. 2: Associate Appreciation Casino
Night, GSABA Ballroom, 3625 Paesanos
Parkway, #100. For info, call 210-696-3800
Nov. 17: Building Believers Military Thanks-
giving Luncheon, GSABA Ballroom, 3625
Paesanos Parkway, Ste. 100. For more info,
call 210-696-3800
IEC
Independent Electrical Contractors S.A.
Nov. 8: Quarterly Luncheon, The Barn Door,
8400 N. New Braunfels Ave. For more info,
call 210-431-9861
MCA-SMACNA INC
Mechanical Contractors Association Sheet
Metal & A/C Nat’l Association
Nov. 1: Regular & Associates Meeting, Dou-
bleTree Hotel, 37 NE Loop 410, 11:30am. For
more info, call 210-822-3763
Nov. 15: Joint Industry Fund Meeting,
MCA-SMACNA Offices, 12500 Network
Blvd., Ste. 140. For info, call 210-822-3763
NAWIC
Nat’l Assn of Women in Construction
Nov. 1: Membership Meeting, The Petro-
leum Club, 8620 N. New Braunfels. For more
info, call 210-639-2489
PHCC
Associated Plumbing, Heating, Cooling\
Contractors of San Antonio
Nov. 9: PHCC Membership Meeting, The
Petroleum Club, 8620 N. New Braunfels. For
more info, call 210-824-7422
SAMCA
San Antonio Masonry Contractors Assn
Nov. 29: Membership Meeting, 12-1pm,
Pappadeaux Restaurant, 76 NE Loop 410.
For info, contact Debbie at 830-606-5556
TACCA
Texas Air Conditioning Contractors Assn
Greater San Antonio
Nov. 16: Member Meeting, Old San Fran-
cisco Steakhouse, 10223 Sahara Drive. For
more info, call 210-901-4222
TSPE
Texas Society of Professional Engineers
Nov. 6: Chapter Meeting, Old San Francisco
Steakhouse, 10223 Sahara Dr. For more info,
call 210-494-7223
San Antonio Construction News • November 2017 Page 21

continued from Page 1 — Celebrating 50 years

was always open to my opinions and sug- ebrating all year by hosting quarterly fun-
All in the family
gestions and I certainly listened to his draising events to give back to the com-

opinions and suggestions.”
The biggest changes for the compa-
ny came 17 years ago, when Joeris start-
ed the strategic planning process for the
company. “My aspirations were to grow
the company. You have to keep it grow-
ing in some form or fashion to be relevant
in this market. We started this strategic
planning process and identified goals for
the next two to three years. We set goals
for getting better; goals for the kind of
manpower we would need, what posi-
tions we would need people in, and we
worked very deliberately in making those
goals happen.
“I could not have achieved any suc-
cess without our people. They are the
key ingredients. My best blessing was
having some really good people to start
with from my dad, and we continue to
bring in high quality, high caliber folks
with good character.”
Celebrating 50 years in business,
Joeris General Contractors has been cel-
continued from Page 1 — Part science, part art
specs. We also do custom blends and
manufacture the soils and products land-
scape architects need. Going even more
full circle, the city of San Antonio is on
course to be a green city and there’s also
a nationwide push to remove organics
out of landfills so we are not just a manu-
facturing company, we are a recycling
company.
“We take in manure waste, brush and
vegetables and provide a service to veg-
etable packaging companies so their
waste is not dumped in a landfill. We
provide a land service to dispose of
organic waste at a lesser cost and turn it
into usable products that will eventually
turn into saleable soils and materials for
landscapes,” adds Broyles.
continued from Page 1 — Enjoy the ride!
munity they love so much. “We hosted a
clothing drive to benefit CAM Ministries.
We also hosted a can food drive for the
San Antonio Food Bank and in August we
hosted a school supply drive to benefit
CASA, the advocates for San Antonio’s
foster children. And just this past week-
end we did the Light the Night Walk for
the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society with
John Casstevens, our president, as chair-
man. In conjunction with the Light the
Night Walk we are also doing a teddy
bear drive for young leukemia patients in
the hospital,” says Angela Cardwell, chief
marketing officer.
The company commissioned a paint-
ing to honor their workers at their
40-year mark and will have a sculpture
commissioned in their honor for the
company’s 50th anniversary.
Joeris General Contractors is a general
contactor headquartered in San Antonio with
offices in Austin, Dallas and Houston. - cmw
Urban Land Clearing, Soil & Compost
is certified by the US Compost Council
and are required to follow the rules and
guidelines set forth by the Council. “It’s
part science, but part art too. There’s the
look of it, the feel of it, and the smell of it.
Simple things like the weather can affect
everything,” adds Broyles.
Anderson oversees the operations of
the company. Broyles oversees the mate-
rial side and sales for Urban and Urbanc-
zyk is Urban’s marketing director.
“At the end of the day, we just want
to recycle and be kind to our earth,” says
Urbanczyk.
Urban Land Clearing, Soil & Compost is
a manufacturer, specialty contractor and
supplier in San Antonio. -cmw
S
ometimes great ideas come to you
through the most unusual means.
Vinyl siding for instance; who would
think vinyl siding would change the dry-
wall industry.
In the late ‘60s, Joe Koenig, Sr. was in
the vinyl manufacturing business when
he started manufacturing vinyl J bead out
of his garage. Designed to replace metal
bead used by drywall contractors to finish
rough drywall ends under doors and win-
dow encasements, vinyl J bead would be
the very first product for Trim-Tex Inc., the
company Koenig would start in 1969.
Koenig and one employee manufac-
Three generations of Trim-Tex. L-R: Joe
tured enough vinyl J bead to fill a semi- Koenig, Jr; Katie Koenig Zornow; and
truck trailer. They would fill the back of Joe Koenig, Sr.
Koenig’s station wagon with boxes of vinyl
J bead, and he would drive around the facility is recycled,” say Sales & Regional
Chicagoland and Gary, IN areas selling vi- Account Manager Don Dathe.
nyl J bead to the gypsum supply yards out Although Koenig has long since
of his car. And the rest is history. retired, the company remains a family-
Fast-forward 48 years, Trim-Tex designs owned business. Joe Koenig, Jr. is the
and manufactures a full range of rigid vi- second generation of the company and
nyl drywall beads and accessories out of serves as the company’s CEO. Third gen-
their state-of-the-art 220,000sf facility in eration is Katie Koenig Zornow, who is
Lincolnwood. Trim-Tex has a network of Koenig, Jr.’s daughter, the company’s
distributors all over the United States, Can- marketing & sales specialist while her
ada, Australia, and parts of Europe. husband, Kiel Zornow, is national archi-
“All of our products are made with a tectural representative for the company.
70% or higher recycled content. We like to Michael Garcia is vice president of sales
say we were green before green was cool. and is married to Koenig’s niece.
We recycle everything from paper to met- Trim-Tex Inc. is a manufacturer of dry-
al, anything that comes in or out of our wall products. -cmw

Close-up view of The Wave Breaker jet skis seats

and metal roof that serves as the electri-
cal building to house the vast amount of
electrical components that control the
ride and a pre-engineered maintenance
building.
There were several challenges that
had to be overcome during the project.
First and foremost was the extremely
short construction schedule. Like most
entertainment parks, Sea World gets
most of its park attendance during the
summer months. Due to the award and
start date of the project it was a major
challenge to open the ride in June of 2017
especially considering that also included
the time to commission, test and certify
the ride before the public could start to
enjoy it. Secondly, each pier had to be
drilled in solid rock and had to be spot-on
to ensure each column supporting the
ride was in the exact location required.
With pier diameters between 18 in. and
60 in. and depths between 24 and 48 ft,
the speed required for drilling in rock –
with the accuracy mandated by the ride
manufacturer made this a nerve-wrack-
ing experience to say the least. Next, the
design team was almost entirely based
outside of the San Antonio market. This
meant that countless hours of online
communication was required to get an-
swers that were desperately needed in
the field when conflicts arose. Finally, like
most entertainment-based owners, as it
became evident that we were going to
finish the ride in time for the summer
crowds, Sea World’s entertainment sec-
tors added scope to enhance to the ride
for its customers. This took an already
abbreviated construction schedule and
mounted additional challenges. In the
end, it took round-the-clock shift work to
accomplish everything.
The uniqueness of this roller coaster
that travels over a man-made lake in sim-
ulated jet-ski cars designed to give the
rider the thrill of the ride and yet show-
case the parks larger mission of animal
care is the first of its kind ride in the Con-
tinental United States.
This project in large part was suc-
cessful due to the great working relation-
ship with the magnificent people who
work at Sea World San Antonio. Larry
Giles Vice President for Busch Gardens at
Williamsburg, Virginia was sent to San
Antonio to be Sea World’s on site project
manager. He brought over 20 years of
ride construction experience and provid-
ed valuable leadership to the team.
Key players included Morganti Texas
VP of Operations Joe Kummer, Frank D.
Casias; Sr. PM Paul E. Lindsey; Precon-
struction Mgr. Thomas S. Johnson; Asst.
PMs Frank D. Casias III and Daniel San-
tos; Gen. Superintendent Carlos Torres;
Superintendent Steve Chavez; Asst. Su-
perintendent McKenzie Faulkner; and
Proj. Admin. Audrey P. Casias. The archi-
tectural firms on the project were FORREC
Ltd. and Alonzo Alston with Sol Studio.
Casias Construction LLC, a General
Contractor founded in San Antonio in 2003
and Morganti Texas Inc. established in 1990,
established the Morganti Texas/Casias Joint
Venture in San Antonio in 2011. –cmw
Page 22 San Antonio Construction News • November 2017

Going orange for hunger

N
orth Star Mall hosted the 12th Annual CANstruc-
tion design/build competition as one of San Anto-
nio’s Food Bank’s SA Goes Orange for Hunger
campaign. Ten teams representing San Antonio chapters
of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Soci-
ety for Design Administration participated with only 12
hours, beginning Sept. 10, to defy expectations, logic and
gravity as they assembled these amazing sculptures us-
ing approximately 30,000 cans of food. –cmw

Chomping Our Way Out of Hunger

RVK Architects and Lundy & Franke Engineering Inc.
6,500 cans

Jack and the Bien Stein

Mustard Design Architects
2,520 cans

Best Meal:
NOTABURGER
PBK Architects / Kimley-Horn & Associates Inc.
3,500 cans

Openings
San Antonio College
1,920 cans

Paleta Power! Put Hunger on ice in 2017

Smithdish Architecture and Rubiola Construction Company
1,425 cans

Best Original Design:

Mr. Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man (“Ain’t Afraid of No Hunger”)
Luna Middleman Architects
6,100 cans
The Best Use of Labels
The Mobile Cantina
Merrick & Co.
2,831 cans

Structural Integrity: Best Use of Orange:

COMBating Hunger La Enchilada “WhataCAN”
Alamo Architects + Turner AIAS @ UTSA Ford, Powell, & Carson and Cleary Zimmermann Engineers
2,694 cans 1,587 cans 4,520 cans
San Antonio Construction News • November 2017 Page 23

T hanksgiving began as a day of giving thanks for the blessing of the harvest and
of the previous year. We can trace this holiday tradition to meagerly documented
celebrations at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts held in 1621 and one held in
Virginia in 1919.
It has been an annual tradition in the United States by presidential proclamation
since 1863. On Dec. 26, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a joint resolution
of Congress. This resolution changed the national Thanksgiving from the last Thurs-
day in November to the fourth. He had try to achieve this change two years earlier by
presidential proclamation, arguing an earlier celebration of the holiday would give the
country an economic boost. Historically, Thanksgiving kicks off our “holiday season.”
“Harvest” today probably has a different meaning than it did in 1620. We have
November 11 so much to be thankful for. Let us not forget all the many blessings that we have, not
A day to say Thank You just in the food we put on our tables, but the many things that allow us to obtain our
“harvest.” -cmw
to those who served in Giving thanks
the U.S. Armed Forces

O bserved annually, Veterans Day

honors military veterans. This
day originated as Armistice Day on
November 11, 1919, the first anniver-
sary of the end of World War 1. Veter-
ans Day gives special thanks to living
veterans who served their country
honorably during war or peacetime.
Often, Veterans Day is confused
with Memorial Day, the day to honor
those who served and died while in
military service.
Page 24 San Antonio Construction News • November 2017