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Season for Awards Recognitions: Corgan, SHW Take Top Honors
Also, Quoin, North Texas ABC form alliance; mergers and new store openings make headlines
North Texas ABC Joins with Quoin AGC to Form The Alliance
Effective Jan. 1, the Associated Builders and Contractors North Texas Chapter and the QUOIN Chapter of the Associated General Contractors merged into a new organization temporarily dubbed The Alliance.
This past fall the executive committees of ABC and Quoin voted to proceed with the consolidation of the two organizations and take it to a vote of the memberships, which passed.
“ABC staff members were moving their staff into our building the in mid-December,” says Raleigh Roussell, president/CEO of The Alliance and former president and CEO of the QUOIN Chapter of the Associated General Contractors, said. “The staffs will be combined and we’ll operate out of our facilities on Stemmons Freeway. We are in the process of selecting a new name for the combined organization.”
Both groups will maintain relationships and affiliations with both the national ABC and AGC, Roussell says. Members of the two local organization will be joint members of both national organizations, he added.
“The primary driver for this merger was to create one voice, one message,” he says. “This gives us a better focus message for the industry in this market and added clout in Austin, as well, for the construction industry in North Texas.”
Roussell said he believes the partnership will result in better programs and services through the combined organizations, too.
“I don’t think there will be significant changes. We will still focus on governmental relations, certainly in safety and risk management. We will also put some special emphasis on workforce development and public and industry affairs.”
–Tonie Auer
Corgan Associates Makes Two Lists for Workplace, Fastest Growing Companies
Dallas-based Corgan Associates, Inc., one of the largest U.S.-based architectural firms focused on design, was ranked as the third “Best Firm To Work For” in 2008 in the large architecture firm category (300+ employees) according to ZweigWhite’s annual rankings of top industry firms.
Corgan Associates, Inc. was also selected as one of the 2008 winners of the Dallas 100 and was the only architecture firm named to this list of top-performing, rapid-growth companies. This is the 18th annual Dallas 100, co-founded by the Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship at the Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business, identifying and honoring the 100 fastest-growing privately held companies in the Dallas area.
Winning firms on ZweigWhite’s annual rankings of top industry firms were selected based on their commitment to provide a positive work environment and challenging and interesting work opportunities for their employees. Corgan was recently recognized among a handful of other “best of” industry leaders including those from the civil and structural engineering fields as well as the environmental services industry.
Corgan was selected as one of the best architecture firms to work for from among 62 aspiring firms in the large firm category.
The ZweigWhite rankings are based on corporate and employee survey results within each industry. The corporate survey collects data on benefits, compensation, training and mentoring programs, work opportunities, turnover rates and social activities. The employee survey asks each member of the staff about his/her opinions of their firm, including career development opportunities, benefits, compensation, company culture, company values and quality of work.
The annual Dallas 100 pays tribute to the vitality and entrepreneurial spirit of the emerging business community in North Texas. The Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship has been compiling the rankings for 18 years.
Spring ISD's Andy Dekaney High School, SHW Group Earn 2008 Caudill Award
Spring Independent School District's Andy Dekaney High School, near Houston, received the Caudill Award in the 2008 Exhibit of School Architecture Competition. Dallas-based SHW Group is the architect. The high school campus was selected from among 97 Texas public schools, all of which were built or substantially completed between Sept. 1, 2003, and Jan. 1, 2008.
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Completed last year, the 486,000-sq-ft high school avoids the traditional big box design and instead features several smaller learning academies.
The concept of housing smaller learning communities within the larger school allows for personalized instruction and opportunities to build relationships without giving up the advantages of attending a comprehensive 5-A high school, a school official stated.
Among the schools receiving special recognition in the 2008 Exhibit of School Architecture Competition were Houston ISD's Walnut Bend Elementary School as outstanding primary school designed by VLK Architects Inc. of Houston; outstanding secondary school was North East ISD's Jose M. Lopez Middle School, designed by Pfluger Associates Architects of San Antonio; and outstanding school renovation for Waxahachie ISD's Waxahachie Global High School designed by Huckabee & Associates Inc. of Fort Worth.
The awards are the result of a collaborative project of the Texas Association of School Administrators, the Texas Association of School Boards and the Texas Society of Architects. The Caudill Award, or Best in Show, acknowledges excellence in the planning and design of Texas public education facilities and is presented in honor of William Caudill, FAIA. The annual Caudill winner is selected only from the projects that meet the criteria in all six categories: design, innovation, educational appropriateness, process of planning, sustainability and value.
Texas Housing Hall of Honor Recognizes Building Leaders
Several Texas builders were selected for the inaugural Texas Housing Hall of Honor by the Texas Association of Builders for induction at the annual Sunbelt Builders Show.
The Texas Housing Hall of Honor celebrates men and women who have made significant and lasting contributions to the Texas housing industry. Inductees are selected annually from the categories of: builders, developers or remodelers; trades professionals and suppliers; government; and industry-allied professionals.
Among those inducted into the hall are the late Fort Worth builder J.B. Sandlin, owner of J.B. Sandlin Companies; the late Dallas builder David Fox, chairman of the board of Dallas-based Centex Homes and guiding force behind the original volume builder Fox & Jacobs; and the late Fort Worth builder Herman Smith, who was considered a national authority on mortgage finance and real estate investment policy.
Each of the inductees made numerous achievements in their careers.
Among Sandlin’s honors were the selection as the Texas Builder of the Year (1997); Greater Fort Worth Builders Association Builder of the Year (1971), Herman J. Smith Legend Award (1996) and Lifetime Achievement Award (1999); and SMC Builder Marketer of the Year (1982, 1983) and Best Product Design (1981, 1982, 1983).
Fox served in a variety of leadership roles for the HBA of Greater Dallas (including president in 1963), the Texas Association of Builders and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). In 1975, he served as chairman of the board of the Home Owners Warranty Corp., the first 10-year insured new home warranty program in the United States. In 1979, he was inducted into the NAHB Hall of Fame.
Smith served in a variety of leadership roles – including president – for the Greater Fort Worth Builders Association, the Texas Association of Builders (TAB) and the National Association of Home Builders. He was named “Builder of the Year” by TAB in 1982 and was elected to NAHB’s Housing Hall of Fame in 1987.
HKS’ Joseph Sprague Honored as ‘Changemaker’ for 2008
Joseph G. Sprague, principal and director of health facilities at Dallas-based HKS, Inc., was presented The Center for Health Design 2008 Changemaker award at a ceremony held at the Healthcare Design Conference at the Gaylord National in Washington, D.C.
The Changemaker Award is bestowed annually by The Center for Health Design’s board of directors upon an individual or organization that has demonstrated exceptional ability to effect change in healthcare facility design.
Sprague’s work has been widely published and he is a frequent lecturer in health facility planning, design, and construction. In addition to being a fellow in the American Institute of Architects, a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Architects, and a fellow in the Health Facility Institute, he is past president of the AIA Academy of Architecture for Health and is chairman emeritus of the “Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities,” a nationally recognized standard. In addition, Sprague is president of the Facility Guidelines Institute and president elect of the American College of Healthcare Architects.
Gilbane Receives Honors at Construction Roundtable Awards
The Associated Builders and Contractors honored select ABC member companies, and a partnering organization, for receiving top honors in the Construction Users Roundtable’s Construction Industry Safety Excellence Awards and the Workforce Development Awards at CURT’s national conference.
ABC members won in all three categories in the CURT CISE Constructor Safety Awards. Contractors recognized for their outstanding safety performance over the past three years included Gilbane Building Co., which has offices in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin.
Jaster-Quintanilla Wins ICRI Award of Merit for Possum Kingdom Lake Project
Dallas-based Jaster-Quintanilla received an Award of Merit in the Water Structures category from the International Concrete Repair Institute for the firm’s repairs to the Morris Sheppard Dam and Powerhouse project at Possum Kingdom Lake in Graford.
Built between 1938 and 1941, the Morris Sheppard Dam impounds the 19,800 surface-acre Possum Kingdom Lake. The cast-in-place concrete Powerhouse sits at the base of the 190-foot tall, 2,015-foot long dam structure, and houses twin 11,250 kilowatt generator units. Both the dam and powerhouse had been damaged over the years.
Susman Tisdale Gayle Merges with BMG Architects
Austin-based Susman Tisdale Gayle Architects expanded through a merger with BMG Architects, a Tucson-based architectural firm. The new entity will be called STG Design.
BMG Architects, founded in 1981, specializes in recreation and community centers, senior housing, multifamily HUD and hospitality projects. Its client base reaches across the United States and into the Pacific Rim and Europe. The merger, a result of more than two years of planning, allows STG Design to provide clients with a great deal of experience in multifamily and senior housing projects, as well as a presence in the southwestern United States.
Both STG and BMG are award-winning design firms and by merging will have over 90 employees in Austin, Houston, Nashville and Tucson. STG Design will offer experience in a wide variety of project types including office, industrial, educational, healthcare, hospitality, multifamily and recreational projects.
Broaddus & Associations Acquires FJW Group
Austin-based Broaddus & Associates acquired Arlington-based FJW Group Inc., a construction management and general contracting firm. This 38-year-old company specializes in healthcare, financial, religious, and aviation facilities. The company will now operate as FJW Construction, LLC.
Broaddus & Associates Senior Vice President David J. Bowlin will serve as FJW’s interim president during the transition.
TBG Partners Merges with Vernon G. Henry & Associates
Landscape architecture and planning firm TBG Partners merged with Houston-based urban land planning firm Vernon G. Henry & Associates (VHA). VHA’s current employees will be relocating to TBG’s Houston office increasing the staff to 35 and enabling the company to expand its portfolio in services such as comprehensive city and regional planning, site selection and land use analysis. For development projects, the merger signifies enhanced integration of site planning and landscape architecture to create totally-integrated, cohesive environments.
Zachry Holdings Acquires Southerland Associates
San Antonio-based industrial engineering, construction and services firm Zachry Holdings Inc. acquired Southerland Associates Inc., a family-owned and operated engineering, construction and fabrication services company based in Charlotte, N.C.
The purchase of Southerland Associates Inc. gives Zachry a permanent presence in the southeastern United States. Zachry’s regional craft employment and craft training offices will be fully functional in early 2009.
American Fire Sprinkler Association Completed Nation’s Largest Trade Show
Based in Dallas, the American Fire Sprinkler Association celebrated its 27th Annual Convention and Exhibition recently in Washington, DC. About 1,250 industry leaders from across the country convened for the three-day meeting with dozens of educational seminars and various informative programs.
Bill Corbin, executive vice president of Dallas-based Mutual Sprinklers was presented AFSA's highest honor, the 2008 Henry S. Parmelee Award.
H&E Equipment Services Opens New Crane Facility in Dallas
After 47 years in its old facility, H&E Equipment Services, the largest Grove & Manitowoc dealer in the world, opened a newly constructed crane facility at 3510 Roy Orr Blvd. in Grand Prairie, near Dallas.
The new facility is 22,000 sq ft with eight service bays, 30-ft high ceilings, and two 10-ton overhead cranes to facilitate all types of crane repair. The H&E Dallas branch offers new and used equipment sales and a large crane and telescopic forklift rental fleet, along with in-house and mobile service. The parts department has a large in-stock inventory of new and used parts, with access to crane parts for nearly every make or model.
The H&E Dallas branch carries equipment from Elliott, Grove, Gehl, Manitex, Manitowoc, National, and Skytrak and has the capability to provide parts and repair nearly all brands of construction and industrial equipment in the market today.
RSC Equipment Rental Opens New South Texas Locations
Scottsdale, Ariz.,-based RSC Equipment Rental opened two new South Texas locations recently including a new 11,000-sq-ft store in Corpus Christi and relocated another facility in San Benito. The Corpus Christi location was selected to better serve its growing base of customers in the industrial and commercial industries.
“The layout of our retail space, shop and yard are much more user friendly for our customers and allows for easier access to load and unload equipment,” says Gene Reyna, the store’s branch manager.
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