San Antonio AGC Polls Contractors on Public Owner Projects

Ranking owners on their safety, payment, relationships and more, San Antonio public owners scrutinized by construction trade associations and minority-owned businesses.

Northside ISD, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Top AGC Report Card

The San Antonio chapter of the AGC Owner’s Report Card ranked Northside ISD and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the top of its public owner class. Members of the San Antonio Chapter began work on the unique industry survey for eight local public owners, representing $1.5 billion in construction spending during the past two years. The San Antonio accounting firm Padgett, Stratemann & Co. was selected to conduct the survey and tabulate the results.

The report grades public owner performance in the following eight criteria: safety, payment, relationships, bid documents, scope management, bid qualifications and evaluation, design coordination and management, and insurance and risk requirements.

Respondents were asked to rate the owner on each question using a grade scale of A (highest rating) to F (lowest rating). The eight public owners and the class ranking determined by a combination of the highest percentages of A’s and B’s are Northside ISD, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Bexar County, city of San Antonio, the U.T. System, Alamo Community College District, Judson ISD and North East ISD.

The electronic survey of 947 industry leaders drew a response rate of 14% and included members of AGC, other construction trade associations, and Bexar County’s database of small, minority and women-owned businesses.

Jaster-Quintanilla/Dallas Announces Gifts to Texas A&M University

Jaster-Quintanilla of Dallas selected Texas A&M University’s Dwight Look College of Engineering as the recipient of a five-year financial gift from the firm to help fund a graduate fellowship in sustainability within the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering. The graduate fellowship in sustainability is the first of its kind at the university. JQ is also funding a fellowship that focuses on structural engineering.

In March, Jaster-Quintanilla hosted a “Salute to Sustainable Design Education” and invited Texas colleges and universities, focused on sustainable curricula, to attend the event in Dallas. Among those attending were Texas A&M, Southern Methodist University, Rice University, the Dallas County Community College District and the University of North Texas.

The Dwight Look College of Engineering at Texas A&M University is one of the largest engineering colleges in the nation with nearly 9,000 students and 12 departments.

Faculty includes seven university distinguished professors. Among the senior faculty are holders of 32 endowed chairs and 50 endowed professorships. Eighteen members of the faculty are members of the National Academy of Engineering.

PBS&J Named Employer of the Year by Women’s Transportation Seminar

The Women’s Transportation Seminar Heart of Texas Chapter named engineering and environmental consulting firm PBS&J the group’s 2007 Employer of the Year, recognizing PBS&J’s support of the advancement of women in the transportation field.

PBS&J established many racial and gender diversity initiatives in its offices. The company’s Women Inspiring Leadership group focuses on career development and community involvement. WIL offers an office mentor program, which pairs leaders in the company with recently hired employees to develop career and leadership skills. WIL has supported community initiatives benefiting women, including local clothing drives for Dress For Success and a bake sale and silent auction benefiting breast cancer research.

PBS&J’s Corporate Diversity Advisory Council works to promote all facets of diversity throughout the company. Both the WIL and CDAC programs are implemented in a majority of PBS&J’s offices, including its Austin office.

PBS&J - which has 10 Texas offices - was also awarded another workplace diversity and inclusion award last year by the Greater Miami Society for Human Resources Management when the firm was recognized for “Outstanding Contribution to Diversity and Inclusion Practices in the Workforce” as part of its 2007 Celebration of Diversity Awards.

KBR Announces Plan to Acquire BE&K Inc. of Birmingham, Ala.

Houston-based KBR announced the signing of a definitive agreement that allows the company to proceed with plans to acquire 100% ownership of BE&K Inc., a privately held, Birmingham-based engineering, construction and maintenance services company. The transaction, which is subject to regulatory approval, is valued at $550 million, subject to a post-closing adjustment.

MDU Resources Acquires Yarbrough’s Dirt Pit Bismarck, N.D.,-based MDU Resources Group, Inc. acquired Yarbrough’s Dirt Pit Inc., doing business as Yarbrough’s Material & Construction, an aggregate supplier and ready-mix concrete producer near Sour Lake, about 25 mi west of Beaumont.

Yarbrough will become part of Knife River Corp., the construction materials and contracting subsidiary of MDU Resources. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Yarbrough serves the southeast Texas market, primarily the Beaumont and Port Arthur area, with an aggregate distribution yard and ready-mix plant. Yarbrough distributes in excess of 300,000 tons of aggregate annually. It will operate as part of Knife River’s South Region, which includes operations in Central and East Texas.

HDR Acquires Claunch & Miller Inc.

Omaha-based HDR, an architecture-engineering- consulting firm, has acquired Houston-based engineering firm Claunch & Miller Inc. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Going forward, Claunch & Miller Inc. will conduct business as HDR | Claunch & Miller. The full service municipal civil engineering firm with roughly 75 municipal/governmental clients serves as the designated city engineer for a number of cities in the Houston area and others in Central Texas. Along with paving and drainage, the firm has a comprehensive water/wastewater practice. Claunch & Miller president Chris Claunch will assume role as senior vice president and department manager under the new corporate structure. James Andrews is a senior vice president; David Kasper, Madhu Kilambi, John Rudloff and Harry Walker are vice presidents in the new organization.

With the addition of the Claunch & Miller team, HDR now has 19 Texas offices.

Carrollton’s Urban Development Director Presented Profile Award

Ravi Shah, director of Urban Development for the city of Carrollton, was honored with the International Code Council’s Profile Award during Building Safety Week for his efforts to raise the bar for code officials through the creation of the Building Officials Association of Texas Best Practices Award, and for exposing students to building codes by encouraging youth to consider careers as “first preventers.” He also supported the International Accreditation Service Building Department Accreditation Program.

In addition, the New York City DOB received the award. They are the first recipients of the International Code Council’s Profile Awards created to honor code officials and their departments as “first preventers.” The awards honor individuals and organizations for contributions to raising the public awareness of the work accomplished by code officials to improve public safety in the built environment.

Brenda Aschliman Elected President of Construction Writers Assoc.

Brenda Aschliman has been elected national president of Construction Writers Association. She is director of corporate communications for Houston-based Walter P Moore and previously served CWA as vice president, second vice president, director and co-chair of the Publicity and Promotion Committee.

The Construction Writers Association is a non-profit, non-partisan international organization for journalists, public relations and marketing communications professionals, and photographers serving the information needs of the construction industry. The organization celebrates its 50th anniversary during 2008.

Slack & Co. Superintendent Gets AGC Standard of Excellence

Houston-based Slack & Co. Contracting Inc. general superintendent Joe Lopez was presented the Associated General Contractors of America Houston Chapter Standard of Excellence Award.

The Standard of Excellence award is presented annually and gives special recognition to a construction industry employee who most exemplifies the highest standards of excellence: commitment to quality, customer service, cooperation, teamwork and professionalism.

Intertech Flooring Wins National Design Award for Dell Children’s

Austin-based Intertech Flooring’s green flooring work on Austin’s Dell Children’s Medical Center garnered the company a top award in this year’s StarNet Design Awards for flooring design excellence.

StarNet, a national commercial flooring cooperative, awarded Intertech first place in the health-care category. The $200 million Dell Children’s Medical Center opened in summer 2007 and is on track to become the first LEED Platinum-certifiec health-care facility in the country.

ARTBA Foundation Hosts Young Executive Development Program

Six Texans were among 36 transportation design and construction industry “rising stars” to participate in the American Road & Transportation Builders Association Transportation Development Foundation 13th annual Young Executive Development Program.

The three-day program focuses on the impact the federal government has on the industry and the role that ARTBA plays in shaping national transportation policy. The 2008 class was the largest to complete the program.

The YEDP program included sessions on the federal legislative and regulatory processes. Participants in the program included Amanda Abrams, administrative supervisor, J.D. Abrams LP, Austin; Albert Amos, innovative financing manager, Jacobs Carter Burgess Inc., Austin; Lyle Clark, project manager, Granite Construction Inc., Lewisville; Lorena E. Echeverria, transportation group manager, Earth Tech Inc., Austin; Aaron M. Flautt, project manager, Earth Tech Inc., Dallas; and Weng On Tam, procurement manager, HDR Engineering Inc., Pfugerville.