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American Alpha
Vol. 15
No. 12
DECEMBER 2012
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L-R: Scott Tak, founder of Alpha Consulting Engineers, and Steve Bourassa, one of Alpha’s engineers
lpha Consulting Engineers just got a lot closer to home. So, hosting an open house was a great way to introduce clients to the new digs at 13300 Old Blanco Rd. Formerly located outside 1604, north of TPC Parkway on 281, Alpha moved Aug. 1, but this was the first time a lot of clients got to visit the office, which is just a stone’s throw from Phil Hardberger Park. Now, founder Scott Tak can enjoy going to the park during lunch. Alpha’s new location brings better accessibility to clients as well as bigger office space for its 14 employees. The open house served as the perfect opportunity to promote and show off the new place. Alpha treated guests to some catered treats along with the hit of the party; de-
licious home-cooked Korean barbeque made by his wife Yoomi. Tak established Alpha in October 1987, so the open house also celebrated the 25th anniversary of the structural engineering company. Even though he left the company he was with to start his own business while Texas was still in a recession, Tak persevered for three years until he landed his first large project: the VIA Transit facility next to the Alamodome, which he credits with jumpstarting the practice. “You can drive around town and see several projects that we worked on, so that’s probably the highlight,” Tak says, noting that the lower light is trying to
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Construction News is welcoming a new arrival in January.
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he Construction News family of newspapers will grow in January, when its quartet of monthly periodicals covering the design, engineering and construction industry will grow to five. That’s right: We’re welcoming a new baby: a monthly newspaper that will cover the construction industry south of San Antonio in South Texas. The new coverage region will include cities such as Victoria, Corpus Christi, Harlingen, McAllen, Brownsville and Laredo. The new paper joins our other monthly publications in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston. As you might have expected, there is
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a treasure trove of construction companies in that wide region “We have always wanted another Construction News publication covering the design, engineering and construction industry in the Valley and Coastal Bend areas,” said Buddy Doebbler, publisher of Construction News. “Over the years we have met numerous companies with operations in this region. They always told us our type of industry coverage would be very welcome. So, the time is now for us to move forward.” But our coverage will not be restricted to only the major cities in the expansive region. We will be targeting the happenings in the Eagle Ford Shale play, which is among the largest economic continued on Page 25
Transitional living for vets
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he joint venture between Joeris General Contractors and Ogo Services has made it possible for veterans with multiple battle wounds and traumas to ease back into civilian life. The Department of Veterans Affairs Polytrauma Transitional Housing Unit on Gus Eckert Road is the product of a mentor-protégé relationship between Joeris and Ogo resulting from the Small Business Administrations mentoring program. Frank Ogo, president of Ogo Services, was very grateful for the opportunity, which he says would not have been possible for his ADA-certified, service-disabled veteran-owned company to have contracted without Joeris. He also credits Joeris with teaching him and his employees on the job about project management on the scale of this $6 million project. Rusty Medlin, project executive for Joeris, says that project manager Brian
Kubena worked with Ogo’s Pamela Moczygemba, who took on the role of assistant project manager, to help Ogo manage the job, which was bid and awarded in Sept. 2010 but didn’t start construction until May 2011. The facility’s ground up construction took approximately 16 months, resulting in the 20,000-sf building on the 5-acre site. The facility features 10 patient rooms, two patient apartments, workout facilities, physical therapy rooms, doctors offices, commercial kitchen, community dining facility, laundry rooms, recreational room, and a two-story lobby/waiting area. “When the soldiers arrive home from battle with multiple battle-related injuries, they’ll be treated at the [Audie L. Murphy] VA hospital,” Kubena explains. “If they need additional care, they will be transferred to this facility where they can The new VA Polytrauma Transitional Housing Unit on Eckert Road was a joint venture between Joeris General Contractors and Ogo Services.
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San Antonio Construction News • Dec 2012
Chips off the Brothers’ block
L-R: George Chapman, president; Robert Chapman, vice president; Cindy Quillian, secretary/ treasurer; and Shawn Steubing, superintendent.
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hen George Chapman was 16, his mother brought home tools and said, “You’re going to work in the morning for C.L. Browning Construction Company.” Chapman’s mother was secretary/ treasurer for the Carpenters Local #14 in San Antonio, and that’s how she gave him his start in the industry. He was scared of being fired that summer in 1956, but he says, “I went out there and I worked as hard as I could, and I stayed on.” Today, Chapman, 73, is president of Chapman Brothers, Inc., which he started with his older brother Jesse Chapman in 1975, and his son Robert Chapman and daughter Cindy Quillian are his business partners, his brother having retired over a decade ago. Chapman Brothers is a general contractor doing commercial ground up, remodeling, renovations, site work and paving. Before going into business with his
brother, Chapman worked for Jerry Gerodetti, who was a knowledgeable and kind mentor. “I told Mr. Gerodetti what I was going to do,” Chapman says of starting his own business. “And he asked me if I had any work, and I said, ‘No, sir, I don’t have any work.’ “He said, ‘Well, you better get back in your office and see if you can estimate some jobs.’ “And I said, ‘On your time?’ “And he said, ‘Yes, on my time.’” When Danny Myer worked for Chapman, he taught the entire family a lot about the business, too. “I take a lot of success that we had from listening to Danny,” he declares. From their first job with Southwestern Bell to their current work with the Southwest Research Institute, Chapman has kept busy. But, after 37 years running his own business, with five children and 14 grandchildren, he may be getting ready to retire. –mp
ATTENTION ! SEND US YOUR COMPANY CHRISTMAS PARTY PHOTOS AND STORIES.
San Antonio Construction News • Dec 2012
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PUTZ AROUND TOWN JC Putz here . . . FORE! FIVE! SIX! The ladies of NAWIC took an evening recently to mix it up at the Rolling Oaks Golf Club. Michele Urbanczyk is seen here showing off her awesome style in the longest drive content. Oh wait did she miss the ball? Maybe a couple of times, my spies tell me.
Pout of the month Oh no. Well it appears that Lauren Bunnell was not a happy camper at the ABC Casino night. (check the bottom lip)
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A very Deco Halloween
he Hispanic Contractors Association of San Antonio (HCA of SA) held its Halloween party on a chilly evening, Oct. 26, at Deco Pizzeria in the historic Deco District along Fredericksburg Road. Guests enjoyed the interior décor and atmosphere – not to mention the food – of the pizzeria, which was originally an automotive service station in the 1920s. Many attendees brought their families and children in costume, and several members came in character-driven ensembles to compete in the costume contest. Joe Carvajal and Raul Carillo, OSHA, won best costume. Carillo, one half of the Blues Brothers duo, alternatively donned a mask and shades that sported creepy glowing eyeballs. Michael Flores, a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch, won scariest costume, proving that enough people are afraid of clowns to swing the vote that way. –mp
Iris Duran, public relations chair for the HCA of SA, and her 18-month-old daughter Alejandra Rodriguez.
Rumor has it she was doing so well at the tables that night she called her bookie in Vegas, bet the house, the car and the boat on a long shot. I guess her expression tells the results. Well another year is almost gone. Plenty of uncertainty but one thing you can count on. Never fear, old Putz is here.
Construction News ON LOCATION
On the move
Maria Gomez, purchasing, and Ray Escobedo, sales manager, were preparing Shelly Flooring for a change of venue from their Blossom Business Park location to Stone Oak. –mp
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Michael Flores, of Merrill Lynch, and JR Trevino, of Treco Enterprises, Inc.
Joe Carvajal and Raul Carrillo, of OSHA.
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San Antonio Construction News • Dec 2012
Submitted to Construction News
Green takes to the green
They wore pink
Alamo Crane Service employees dressed in pink in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month Oct. 9. That same day, to show their support to find a cure, company officials presented a check donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. –mp
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L-R: John Chisholm, John Gomez, Larry Anderson, and Bruce Knott of the San Antonio River Authority.
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he U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Central Texas-Balcones Chapter indulged in a different kind of green with its Second Annual Golf Tournament fundraiser. Held on a cool fall day, Oct. 29, at TPC San Antonio, eight teams comprised of architects, contractors, engineers, and other USGBC members competed in the tournament. Kiewit Building Group took first place with players Adam Bealle, Jason Beiter, Paul Wuerderman, and Jeff Young. The day of golf benefiting USGBC’s educational programs concluded with a
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