End-of-the-Year Awards Honor Projects, Industry Leaders

Honors range from the Maritime Person of the Year to the recognition of projects and individuals by the South Texas chapter of the ABC.

HKS Expands Global Presence with Brazil Location

Dallas-based HKS Inc. announced in early December its expanded international presence with the opening of a Brazil office in the Edificio Rochavera Corporate Towers in Morumbi, Sao Paolo. HKS has more than two dozen offices across the globe.

HKS Brazil opened to serve clients in South America with consulting as well as full-service architectural, interior design and planning services. The firm's targeted market areas include Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Argentina and Peru.

"South America is an emerging market," says Ralph Hawkins, FAIA, chairman and CEO of HKS Inc.

Brazil has the second largest economy in the Western Hemisphere and the 10th largest in the world, according to the Brazil Business Briefing Conference presented by the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh, the International Business Center and the Center for Latin American Studies of the University of Pittsburgh.

Hawkins said Brazil's size is one of the reasons that makes the additional office beneficial.

Brazil is the fifth largest country by geographic area and the fifth most populous country in the world, Hawkins says. "In addition to the fast-growing health-care sector, we will be able to offer services in the thriving hospitality market and the active corporate and sports/entertainment sectors given our diverse design portfolio," Hawkins told Texas Construction.

Hawkins says HKS has knowledge of international building codes, which adds value to their clients' investment. Eduardo Egea, HKS' vice president, serves as director of the Brazil office.

NAHB Research Center Selects 12 for Energy Value Housing Award

The NAHB Research Center, a subsidiary of the National Association of Home Builders, named 12 builders selected to receive the 2009 Energy Value Housing Award. The energy efficiency award honors builders who voluntarily incorporate energy efficiency into all aspects of new home construction.

In its 14th year, the EVHA is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Building America program, NAHB, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, in addition to the NAHB Research Center. The EVHA challenges builders to elevate standards for energy-efficient construction, provides educational opportunities for home builders, and fosters the adoption of energy efficiency principles.

Finalists were selected from builders' projects in three climate regions (cold, moderate, hot) and five categories (affordable, custom/demonstration, factory-built, multifamily, and production).

Among the dozen 2009 EVHA finalists were Ferrier Custom Homes of Fort Worth, GreenCraft Builders LLC of Lewisville and R. Godfrey Homes of Rainbow.

Fort Worth Heavy Equipment Auction Brings in $31 Million

Ritchie Bros. of Lincoln, Neb., sold more than 2,800 items for the construction, transportation, mining and other industries during a three-day unreserved auction in December at its permanent auction site in Fort Worth. The auction generated gross auction proceeds in excess of $31 million. Bidders from outside Texas purchased almost $17 million of equipment.

More than 2,600 people from 37 countries registered to bid onsite and online at the heavy equipment auction.

Cash Construction Co. of Pflugerville sold more than 30 heavy equipment items at the unreserved Fort Worth auction, including wheel loaders, motor graders, hydraulic excavators and loader backhoes.

POHA Executive Director Named Maritime Person of the Year

Port of Houston Authority Executive Director H. Thomas Kornegay was recently named 2008 Maritime Person of the Year at the Greater Houston Port Bureau and the Marine Exchange of the West Gulf's gala.

Kornegay has served as PHA's executive director for more than 16 years after serving as the port authority's managing director for five years. He joined the port authority's engineering department in 1972 and was the project engineer on the Fentress Bracewell Barbours Cut Container Terminal, which opened in 1976 and became the busiest container terminal on the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Among his accomplishments are designing Barbours Cut, the deepening and widening project for the ship channel, and two successful bond elections.

South Texas ABC Honors EIC Winners, Introduces New Award

Winners for the 2008 Annual Excellence in Construction Competition hosted by the Associated Builders and Contractors of South Texas were selected and recently honored at the association's annual awards dinner. Winners of the local completion are eligible to go on to compete in the National "Excellence in Construction" awards competition.

The merit winners were SpawGlass for the Sunny Glenn Children's Home, Williams Administration Building; Koontz McCombs Construction Ltd. for the Universal Toyota Dealership; Browning Construction Co. for the Episcopal School of Texas, TMI new chapel; Skanska USA Building Inc. for the Bell County Jail; Leonard Contracting, Inc. for Morningside Ministries' renovation at the Chandler Estates; and TDIndustries Inc. for the Kinetic Concepts Inc. building seven finish-out.

The EIC winners were: The Koehler Company for the American Bank of Texas project; Metropolitan Contracting Co. Ltd. for the Cox Smith Matthews Inc. eighth floor interior finish-out; Zachry Construction Corp. for the Hill Country Retreat Amenities Center; Joeris General Contractors Ltd. for the McCreless Marketplace project. Leonard Contracting Inc. for Air Force Village II Freedom House phase two; Bartlett Cocke General Contractors for the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center phase three; Historical Renovation - Kunz Construction Co. Inc. for the Main Plaza re-development phase two; SpawGlass for the Palo Alto Veterinary Technology Building; Joeris General Contractors for the Boerne Samuel V. Champion High School; Bartlett Cocke General Contractors for the San Antonio International Airport parking garage; Alpha Building Corporation for the UTSA physical plant building renovation; Browning Construction Co. for the additions and renovations to H-E-B Grocery Store; The Koehler Co. for the Residence in McQueeney; The Koehler Co. for the Condo Residence in San Antonio; Galaxy Builders Ltd. for the Baptist University of the Americas' Piper Village Seminarian Housing; Zachry Construction Corp. for the San Antonio Emergency Operations Center; and A/C Technical Services Ltd. for Saint Mark's Episcopal Church.

The chapter also presented its first "New Horizon Award" recognizing an outstanding emerging contractor. The winner of the award is Julissa Carielo and Tejas Premier Building Contractor Inc. Criteria for the award includes being in business less than five years, a good safety record, community involvement, a vision for the future, a corporate education background and a good reputation in the construction industry.

Additionally, the chapter recognized five individuals for outstanding support of ABC: General Contractor Member of the Year - Darrell White, Bartlett Cocke General Contractors; Subcontractor Member of the Year - Dallas Cloud, Moore Erection LP; Supplier Member of the Year - Ray Fehner, KCM Cabinets Inc.; Industry Professional Member of the Year - Tom Quintero - IBTX Risk Services; and Volunteer Member of the Year - Julie Delahunt, Joeris General Contractors Ltd.

Bexar County Commissioner Lyle Larson was presented the Chairman's Award for his support of "free enterprise, open competition and small business issues."

Control Technology and Solutions Opens Dallas Office

Control Technology and Solutions, a St. Louis, Mo.-based company that provides design and construction services to improve the energy efficiency of educational, institutional and commercial buildings, opened an office in Dallas.

Heading the new office, the sixth operated by CTS nationally, is Dallas native Roger Thibodeau.

The company opened in 2000 with four employees and employs more than 30 people today. In addition to St. Louis and Dallas, other offices are in Tulsa.; Des Moines; Chicago; and Minneapolis/St. Paul. The new office is located at 9330 L.B.J Freeway, Ste. 900 in Dallas and is the company's sixth nationwide.