FALL 2021
NEWSLETTER
A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT
Dear BC Family,
November is here and it is that time again when we reflect back upon the year, appreciate our accomplishments, give thanks for our many blessings and begin preparing ourselves for the year ahead. Looking back, 2021 has been an extremely challenging year due to the cascading effects of the pandemic which have resulted in unprecedented uncertainty causing project delays, labor shortages, material escalation, and unavailability. Through sheer grit, determination, and hard work, we have overcome these challenges and have embraced them as an opportunity to learn, improve and grow stronger! As we continue to tackle the challenges set before for us, the past eighteen months have demonstrated that the strength, stability, and success of our company comes from within. It comes from having great employees with shared values working together towards a long-term goal to serve a common purpose.
By leveraging our combined talents, experience, and resources as ONE BARTLETT COCKE, our accomplishments this year are transformational and nothing short of amazing. There are so many great things happening and I want to share just a few with you. We successfully completed all of our projects on time this summer despite almost every project being impacted by unforeseen material delays, manpower unavailability, and extreme weather. Our strategic focus and unified approach to target and pursue the right opportunities has resulted in being awarded more than $1.5 Billion in new work so far this year. We have started on our first multifamily project in South Texas, The Travis Building conversion in downtown San Antonio, and our first high-rise in over 40 years, the 28-Story Linden Condominiums in downtown Austin. We are wrapping up our first cold storage warehouse for Fujifilm in College Station. In partnership with Walbridge, we were awarded and have started working on our first large-scale data center project for Microsoft. We are back working on the Texas State University campus for the first time in over a decade on their Infrastructure Research Lab. We have also broken ground on several significant projects in East Texas including the Valero Diamond Green Diesel Control Room, Lab and Administration Buildings in Port Arthur, the Entergy Service Center in Beaumont, and the Ballistics Aero-Optics and Material (BAM) Test Range on the Texas A&M RELLIS Campus in Bryan, Texas.
As we look ahead to next year and beyond, the future is bright! The significant amount of work we have been awarded this year has driven up our backlog of revenue for 2022 and 2023 to record levels. The Texas economy is booming as businesses and people continue to relocate here. As a result, our pipeline of new work opportunities is growing by leaps and bounds in each market segment across the state. As we prepare for the tremendous amount of work that lays ahead in 2022, we all must take ownership of our individual roles and responsibilities and realize every single one of us is vital to the success of our company. Our formula for success is proven and has not changed. As Jerry Hoog says “Every day, we must effectively manage cost and schedule while safely executing the basic building blocks of constructing a quality building.”
Simply put…we are blessed and have so much to be thankful for. One blessing I am especially thankful for is our BC Family. We are stronger together and have witnessed firsthand the strength of our family extends far beyond the fence or four walls of any office. The outpouring of love, comfort, and support to those grieving a loss, fighting sickness, or simply in need of a helping hand has been inspirational and a testament that we all belong to an extraordinary company. As we move forward to complete the year and gear up for 2022, we all must continue to focus on what matters most; the health and safety of our employees, our families, and all of the other men and women working on our active job sites.
Thank you for all that you do every day to Make It Happen! May God bless each one of you and your families and help us fulfill our purpose to continue Building Better Lives for ourselves and our community for many years to come.
Best regards,
James
"TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD..."
Good News and Best Practices from Around the Company
If anyone has an example of something good happening on your job site, or within your department, please share with myself or one of the members of the Ops Team (pictures appreciated if possible).
Kevin Byrd – Senior Vice-President of Operations
VDC + Wood Framing
Although the Daughters of the Texas Republic History Center is not a Multifamily project, it still serves as a testing ground for utilizing BIM coordination with wood framed projects. We were able to work with the truss manufacturer to coordinate large duct runs within the trusses. Safer, faster, BETTER than our competition!
Ready for the Yellow Buses!
Over the summer, our regions combined to deliver 26 ISD projects in time for school to start. Our teams battled through the pandemic, material delays, and costs escalation, and still were able to Make It Happen!
Layout Training Program
We officially rolled out our Layout Training Program to help us reach our goal of teaching all Assistant Superintendents how to leverage the current technology to effectively provide layout verification on all of our job sites. Special thanks to Bryan Spelhaug, Jimmy Worswick, Adrian Flores, Harry Moeller, Jay Klein, and Chris Hudman Safer, faster, BETTER than anyone!
Utility Shutoff Plan
Our Travis Building multifamily project is taking Planning and Safety to new levels with this Utility Shutoff Plan. The plan not only shows location of important shutoff valve locations, but it also shows pictures of the actual valves. Nice work Travis Building Team! SAFER, faster, BETTER than anyone!
Making it Happen!
As part of our strategy towards achieving our Big Hairy Audacious Goal of being “The most sought-after integrated building solutions company delivering projects safer, faster and better than anyone,” we are introducing the “Project Executive” role. The skillset of this role is multifaceted and requires integrating Business Development, Preconstruction Management, Operations Management, and Organizational Development. The individuals in this role are market segment subject matter experts and liaisons for our clients and our project team members. As we ramp up this role, expect to hear and see more. We have initially asked the individuals listed below to serve in this role.
Gabe Rodriguez
Russell Harder
Hans Schneider
Carlos E. Ibarra
Frank Barnes
Scott Parker
Craig Jendrusch
Matt Bragg
Josh Eckert
Derek Even
Doug Hines
Andrew Nielson
Safety Awareness Fall 2021
During the months of October and November 2021, the officers of Bartlett Cocke General Contractors continued the mission of making the rounds to visit all active projects to focus on Safety plus an emphasis on Quality. The company historically experienced an increased number of accidents in the 4th quarter, which we proactively want to change.
Our past discussions have been “Safety is My Job” and “If You See Something, Say Something” with the goal of consistently promoting our company’s safety culture and empowering all employees to stop unsafe work activity. During the project visits, the officer and/or Regional Safety Director are asking project team members to speak up and give examples of safety concerns that they have recently witnessed and stopped to keep workers safe. We have also discussed “a foot can save a hand,” meaning workers should keep at least one-foot separation between the material that they are cutting and the saw or tool that they are using to cut with.
In addition to the focused discussions on Safety and Safety planning, we discussed focusing more attention on our Quality Assurance and Quality Control plans moving forward. Like safety – Quality is everyone’s job and is led at the project level by the project team’s leadership. This leader will fill out the quality control responsibility matrix which clarifies who is responsible for some of the special tasks that make a QA/QC program successful.
For all projects in the future, we must prepare a site-specific Safety Plan and a QA/QC Plan. We also strongly encourage each project to implement a daily “Safety Walk” to document worker safety, safety planning, and assurance that the project is being executed in a safe manner. This daily safety walk should be performed by the Assistant Superintendent and documented each day. Additionally, a daily “Quality Walk” should be performed by the Assistant Project Manager to verify that the installed products are as specified and that the project is being constructed in accordance with the QA/QC plan.
Safety Alert and Lessons Learned
The BC Safety Team has prepared the attached Safety Alert – Masonry Wall Bracing – to provide background, safe practices, and additional to properly plan for the erection of CMU walls.
If you need help, training, or have questions regarding masonry wall bracing, please contact your Regional Safety Director to review the situation(s). They will help find the best solutions to keep everyone safe. We also have Roger Hoffmann, P.E., who is our Structural Systems Manager to help review complex structural systems. The Safety Department and Roger can help implement best practices for safer installations of masonry walls.
Share this information with your field teams during upcoming Safety Huddles to raise awareness to ALL BCGC employees.
David Haffelder, Central Texas / North Texas Safety Director
Email: dhaffelder@bartlettcocke.com
Cell: (512) 744-7934
Jimmy Church, East Texas / Industrial Safety Director
Email: jchurch@bartlettcocke.com
Cell: (832) 248-1494
CSHO- Certified Health and Safety Official designation
Congratulations to Aaron Knapick, Eric Knapick, and Raul Hinojosa for completing their Certified Safety and Health Official (CSHO) certifications, and Aaron for also receiving a Safety Award from Toyota. The CSHO certification is comprised of 227.5 hours of safety classes focused on the construction industry. SAFER, faster, better than anyone!
"I would like to thank Bartlett Cocke and Jeremy Smart for encouraging me to get this certification (2 years in the making), with this certification I now have a better understanding of all trades work and OSHA standards that they must follow. Thanks BC!" - Aaron Knapick, Safety Manager, STX
Meet the Champ of BC!
Alex Medina boxed in the Real Estate Council of Austin (RECA) 2021 Knockout Night, and for the second year in a row, won! His boxing match was the main event, and he represented Bartlett Cocke.
"It was a great honor to represent Bartlett Cocke General Contractors once more on Thursday, October 7th, 2021! Bringing home RECA's Knockout Night second belt. I am grateful for the opportunity and support from my family, friends, and co-workers. Thankful for those who all made it to support me and especially grateful for Bartlett Cocke's sponsorship for this event." - Alex Medina, Estimator
CREWtee-ni at Top Golf
A handful of our South Texas team had a blast at the CREWtee-ni 2021 Signature Fundraiser, team golf tournament Top Golf style, with profits benefiting UTSA’s Embrey Real Estate Finance and Development Program and CREW San Antonio Scholarships. Way to MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Central Texas Ladies Team Building
The ladies of CTX had a blast on Friday, October 22nd, at our annual Team Building event. We went to Board & Brush in Austin, where you choose a project and they provide the materials and instruction for creating it. In the end, you have something to take home that you can be proud of. This is a great time for field & office ladies to catch up with each other and meet new employees. Several ladies were unable to attend, but we hope to see them next year.
A 32 point Red Stag!
Col. Mike Flatten is stationed at Rammstein Air Force Base in Germany. In his time off, he got a 32 point Red Stag. Must have been the Bartlett Cocke hat he was wearing that brought him the luck. Mike is the son-in-law of Jerry and Sara Hoog. Mike and his wife ‘Ria, and children Jack, Goldia, and Patrick will be in Germany for about 16 more months.
San Antonio Chapter of AGC's 27th annual Safety Fair and BBQ Cook-off.
Celebrating at the San Antonio Chapter of AGC‘s 27th annual Safety Fair and BBQ Cook-off. Congratulations to our entire team for winning Safe General Contractor of the Year- Category 2, and to Jose Tovar, recipient of the Larry Westbrook Safe Superintendent Award!
Walking the Project
Bartlett Cocke General Contractors was pleased to have The University of Texas at San Antonio Professor Dr. Tulio Sulbaran and students from his Construction Project Management class walk our Palo Alto College Multipurpose Building project.
BCGC Mentorship Program
The Mentoring Program at Bartlett Cocke General Contractors has been undergoing a lot of growth this year with new Mentors and Mentees joining the fold. The Mentoring Program is currently undergoing signups for our 4th quarter class for 2021 so we would definitely love to have more Mentors and Mentees join us! Just as a reminder – you have to be employed at Bartlett Cocke General Contractors for at least 30 days in order to be eligible to participate as Mentee. Please feel free to reach out to me in case you have any questions.
Steven Gantt
Talent Acquisition Manager
Below are the Mentors and Mentees this quarter.
RING THE BELL
PROJECTS WON IN THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2021
East Cesar Chavez Office Building
Region: Central Texas
Owner: Viamar Properties
Amount: $13 Mil
Contract: CM-at-Risk
BC has been selected as the Construction Manager at Risk by Viamar Properties for a New Boutique Office Building that is located at 5221 E Cesar Chavez. The project is approximately 43,000 sf, cast in place concrete structure, below grade parking, roof top terrace, and roof top pool.
East Riverside Gateway
Region: Central Texas
Owner: PlaceMKR
Amount: $240 Mil
Contract: CM-at-Risk
BC has been selected as the Construction Manager at Risk by PlaceMKR for the new ERG Project that is located approximately 1170’ from our Austin Office. The project will consist of approx. four Residential/Multifamily Buildings with a total of approx. 1,350 apartment units. Each building will have its own CIP parking structure/podium. The project will share appropriate Amenities, (Leasing, Club, Fitness, and Pool(s), etc.).
Round Rock City Centre
Region: Central Texas
Owner: The Crow Group
Amount: $38.5 Mil
Contract: CM-at-Risk
BC has been selected as the Construction Manager at Risk by The Crow Group for the Round Rock City Centre project located in downtown Round Rock. The project will consist of approximately 217 apartment units on top of a two-story above grade cast in place garage.
Santa Rita Middle School Expansion
Region: Central Texas
Owner: Liberty Hill Independent School District
Amount: $7 Mil
Contract: CM-at-Risk
BC has been chosen to expand upon the newly built middle school for the rapidly growing Santa Rita Ranch community.
Liberty Hill High School Expansion
Region: Central Texas
Owner: Liberty Hill Independent School District
Amount: $5.2 Mil
Contract: CM-at-Risk
Continuing our relationship with Liberty Hill ISD, we have been chosen to complete the two-story classroom and science wing and one-story dance additions to the Liberty Hill High School completed in 2013.
Liberty Hill High School Stadium Expansion
Region: Central Texas
Owner: Liberty Hill Independent School District
Amount: $5.2 Mil
Contract: CM-at-Risk
In conjunction with the additions to the high school, BC has been chosen to complete the Liberty Hill High School Stadium expansion.
Toyota MMTX Avanzar Expansion
Region: South Texas
Owner: Toyota MMTX
Amount: $8.4 Mil
Contract: CSP
BC continues to maintain our presence on the Toyota Manufacturing plant in south San Antonio, with this 40,000 SF addition to the existing Avanzar facility. Toyota requires several breakouts and supplementary deliverables during the bidding process, and our estimating and operations team came together to MAKE IT HAPPEN. The one-story expansion will include additional working space for assembly of Tacomas and Tundras. The “Avanzar” facility was named so because of Toyota’s goal to “move forward” or “advance,” so what a great mission for BC to support. Construction is set to begin in September.
Liberty Hill ISD New Middle School
Region: Central Texas
Owner: Liberty Hill ISD
Amount: $58 Mil
Contract: CM-at-Risk
Liberty Hill ISD Board voted unanimously to award their next middle school to Bartlett Cocke. This will be our 14th project for Liberty Hill ISD over the past 10 years and the second new middle school.
Killeen ISD New Middle School
Region: South Texas
Owner: Killeen ISD
Amount: $65 Mil
Contract: CM-at-Risk
The Killeen ISD Board voted unanimously to award their next middle school to Bartlett Cocke, we were third out of six in price $1.2M above low and $410K above second. This is a testament to the proven success our teams on East-West Ward Elementary and Pat Carney Elementary School have shown to the district. Safer, Faster, and Better
The Hotel Austin at East Village
Region: Central Texas
Owner: Reger Holdings LLC
Amount: $38.5 Mil
Contract: CM-at-Risk
BC has been selected as the CMAR by Reger Holdings LLC for a New Boutique Hotel that is located at 3500 E. Parmer Ln Austin Texas. The project is approximately 147,000 SF, 154 Room, cast-in-place concrete structure, rooftop terrace, and rooftop pool.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
OUR STRATEGY & VISION
Progress on our Residential projects in the central Texas region.RESIDENTIAL QUARTERLY UPDATE
Pieper High SchoolDEDICATION CEREMONY
Bartlett Cocke General Contractors is immensely proud of our long-standing and successful relationship with Comal ISD. On October 12th we celebrated our latest achievement together by holding the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Pieper High School.
Davenport High SchoolDEDICATION CEREMONY
On September 14th we attended the Dedication and One-Year Celebration at Davenport High School with student performances and special guests including the original Davenport School alumni.
Pat Carney Elementary SchoolRIBBON CUTTING
School dedication and ribbon-cutting season continues for our BC team and Killeen ISD at Pat Carney Elementary School.
Killeen Elementary SchoolRIBBON CUTTING
The dedication and ribbon-cutting for Killeen ISD’s newest campus, the 3-story 1,350 student capacity Killeen Elementary School, took place on August 8th.
Hal Peterson Middle SchoolRIBBON CUTTING
The grand opening of Kerrville ISD’s Hal Peterson Middle School was held on October 10th. This new middle school represents a melding of the traditional classroom model and the current trend in collaborative and “transparent” spaces. The building is highly adaptable and able to change over time to support the needs of this growing district. Bartlett Cocke General Contractors, Kerrville ISD, and Huckabee hit this one out of the park. It is a source of pride for the Kerrville community and will serve its students for years to come.
Compass Rose Journey SchoolRIBBON CUTTING
Bartlett Cocke General Contractors took part in a special ribbon-cutting ceremony October 15th at the new Compass Rose Journey School. Compass Rose is a new charter school located in Windcrest in Bexar County.
Texas State Veterans HomeGROUND BREAKING
We broke ground on the new Texas General Land Office and Texas Veterans Land Board Tuskegee Airmen Texas State Veterans Home. The facility is planning to open in the spring of 2023.
Texas State UniversityGROUND BREAKING
On August 31, we celebrated the ground-breaking of the new Infrastructure Research Laboratory located on the Texas State University STAR Park Campus in San Marcos, TX.
The Linden ResidencesGROUND BREAKING
We are pleased to announce we have broken ground on Austin’s newest high-rise. Located in the heart of the Arts District the building will rise 28 stories and feature contemporary condominiums with first-class amenities. The project is projected to be completed in late summer 2023.
Thank you to our partners as we build Austin’s newest modern living high-rise: The Armenia Group, Reger Holdings, Rhode Partners, CPM, WRMC, and DEN Property Group.
The Early Learning AcademyGROUND BREAKING
On Friday, August 13th, we broke ground on the Goose Creek CISD Early Learning Academy. The Early Learning Academy is designed for 3-4 year-old pre-school children. The school will feature interactive learning components similar to the Mansfield ISD Academy for Early Learners and the Alief ISD Early Learning Academy. This project builds upon our relationship with Goose Creek CISD where we have been continuously working on at least one district campus since 2015. This school is slated to open in the summer of 2022.
Palo Alto College Rio Grande Building Topping OutTOPPING OUT
The Palo Alto College Multipurpose Building held a topping-out ceremony on September 1st. The two-story facility will serve as the primary entry point to the College and house the Student Engagement & Welcome Center and a hub for various student services and academic programs. The building is set to be completed in fall 2022. Congratulations to the BC team for Making it Happen!
Texas A&M University System Blinn RELLIS Phase 2TOPPING OUT
The Texas A&M University System Blinn RELLIS Phase 2 project held a topping-out ceremony on August 26th and is set to open in the fall of 2022. The three-story, 80,000 SF building features engineering and IT labs, a computer science classroom, an esports arena, a student services suite, 19 lecture classrooms, study spaces, and administrative suites.
The builders’ rite of passage known as a “Topping Out” can be traced to the ancient Scandinavian religious rite of placing a tree atop a new building to appease the tree-dwelling spirits displaced in its construction. The Owner (Blinn), Architect (Gensler), and even some folks from TAMUS came out to celebrate this with us. Congrats to the Team and all who were involved. Building Better Lives!
WELCOME TO THE TEAM!
NEW HIRES AUGUST - OCTOBER OF 2021
SOUTH TEXAS
- Nick Wilkinson – LAN/PC Support Technician (8/2/2021)
- Cody Hubbert – Assistant Project Manager (9/20/2021)
CENTRAL TEXAS
-
Guillermo Frausto – Carpenter (8/2/2021)
- Stephon Hill – Lead Estimator (8/16/2021)
- Austin McCanless – Assistant Project Manager (9/8/2021)
- Greg Jenkins – Superintendent (9/13/2021)
- Parker Umpleby – Assistant Superintendent (9/27/2021)
- Ron Caum – Superintendent (10/11/2021)
- Kendall Schneider – Estimator (10/19/2021)
EAST TEXAS
- Faras Hashim – VDC Manager (8/9/2021)
- Augustin Morales – Laborer (8/19/2021)
- Eric Kuykendall – Quality Control Manager (8/24/2021)
- Matthew Krekowski – Project Manager (9/29/2021)
- Aurelio Torres – Carpenter Helper (10/07/2021)
NORTH TEXAS
- Patrick Gonzalez – Carpenter Helper – (09/13/2021)
INDUSTRIAL
- Joshua Noe – Carpenter Helper (10/07/2021)
- Ben Merino – Assistant Superintendent (10/19/2021)
- Felipe Corona – Carpenter (10/19/2021)
- Killian Conger – Assistant Project Manager (10/25/2021)
- Misty Rodriguez – Safety Manager (10/28/2021)
PROMOTIONS
AUGUST - OCTOBER OF 2021
SOUTH TEXAS
- Derek Foy – Promoted to Superintendent
- Riley Curry – Promoted to Project Manager
- Tyler Ritchie – Promoted to Superintendent
- Tyler Williams – Promoted to Assistant Superintendent
- Melesio Pimentel Guillen – Promoted to Equipment Operator
CENTRAL TEXAS
- Aarron Lacey – Promoted to Chief Estimator
- Nicolas Garcia-Pallares – Promoted to Carpenter
COMPASS COMMITTEE
The Compass Committee is proud to announce the third quarter Bartlett Cocke of the Month awards!
This award is designed to recognize junior employees that exemplify our Core Values and consistently go above and beyond! The “Roving Rooster” is meant to be a fun way to acknowledge our new talent and should be hung in the winner’s job trailer with pride! The award will rotate monthly between each of the 3 regions. The current winner has the responsibility of delivering it to the Jobsite of the next recipient; creating a unique bond and chance to meet employees in different regions. Managers in the perspective region will be sent a link to nominate individuals they believe deserve the recognition.
LET'S CELEBRATE!
Do you have news to share?
We would love to hear about your news and include it in the next newsletter!
Please contact Sharee Yates at sbridges@bartlettcocke.com.
Message from the Scholarship team at the San Antonio Area Foundation:
Hello from the Scholarship team at the San Antonio Area Foundation! We’re reaching out today to inform you about our upcoming scholarships cycle that awards for the 2022-23 school year.
Last year we implemented a Universal Application for the first time, which was successful for our students, staff, and fund advisors. As a reminder, the Universal Application allows a student to fill out just one application and be considered for all the scholarships that we administer internally provided they meet the eligibility criteria.
We are planning to use the Universal Application model again this year, which will include the Bartlett Cocke General Contractors Scholarship. The application will be open from December 1st, 2021 to February 15th, 2022. We will spend the spring evaluating all applications and will announce awardees by May 2022.
You may notice the application is open a little later in the year than it has been in the past. That’s because we have a new scholarship fund at the Area Foundation that we are excited to tell you about. The Legacy Scholarship is a multi-million dollar scholarship fund that will award 50 deserving high school juniors from Bexar and Webb Counties with a $10,000 scholarship for their undergraduate career, renewable for up to 4 years. You can learn more about the Legacy Scholarship here. The Legacy Scholarship application is currently open now until November 30th, and then the Universal Application will open the next day on December 1st.
Contact Information:
Anne Ferguson
Philanthropic Assistant, Scholarships
San Antonio Area Foundation
303 Pearl Parkway, Suite 114 | San Antonio, TX 78215
p: 210.570.1520 | f: 210.225.1980
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Criteria for the BC Scholarship
The Bartlett Cocke General Contractors Scholarship is open to children of current Bartlett Cocke General Contractors employees. Here is the criteria for the scholarship:
The Student must:
- Be the child of a current employee of Bartlett Cocke General Contractors;
- Be a U.S. citizen, resident, and graduate of a high school in the State of Texas;
- Be between the ages of 17 and 22;
- Have above average grades throughout high school;
- Have participated in one or more high school extra-curricular activities;
- Demonstrate good citizenship traits; and
- Attend or going to attend any two- or four-year accredited college, university, or vocational/technical school in the United States;
The scholarship can be awarded based on merit or need for financial assistance. The student can be pursuing any degree. This is open to all regions. The child can re-apply each year they meet the above criteria.