Texas/Louisiana On the Scene, April 2022
Photo courtesy E.E. Reed Construction
E.E. Reed Construction recently participated in the STEM Career Fair at the University of Houston. E.E. Reed actively recruits college students to join its internship program, which provides access to the general contractor work environment. Interns participate in a wide variety of tasks including general estimating, interacting with onsite trades and assisting a project manager on a current project. Pictured are Paige Olivares and Dean Diaz.
Photo courtesy TDIndustries
In partnership with Construction Career Collaborative (C3) and the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), TDIndustries participated in the #SHEbuildsHouston recruiting event on March 3 in Houston.
The #SHEbuildsHouston recruiting event introduces young women to the craft trades through discussions with experienced tradeswomen and provides hands-on training with tools and heavy equipment. The event will also educate young women on additional opportunities in the construction industry, such as estimating, project management and visual design. Nikki Morgan, TD’s executive vice president, and Iris Flores, TD assistant project manager (pictured far right) spoke as part of leadership roundtable panel discussions.
Photo courtesy Ryan Gootee General Contractors
Ryan Gootee General Contractors recently joined UnCommon Construction for their first Partner Build Day since the start of the pandemic. On select Saturdays, apprentices work shoulder to shoulder with industry partners to complete small projects that produce big results. On March 5th, RGGC and UnCommon Construction worked on the sheathing and finishing up of the wall framing on this semester’s projects. The full-day experience involves formal and informal team building and networking activities that help young people build awareness and exposure to jobs and careers in the AEC industry.
Photo courtesy Freese and Nichols
Freese and Nichols Coastal Services team members from the New Orleans, Houston and Austin offices helped restore and protect Louisiana coastal habitat damaged by Hurricane Ida as part of Jefferson Parish’s annual TreeCycling event. This year, cypress plantings were added to help reestablish vegetation and secure marsh remnants in Lafitte, La., within the Barataria Basin. In February, the Freese and Nichols team planted about 200 one-year-old trees and installed nutria guard protection around them. Pictured are Freese and Nichols’ Coastal Services team members Ryan Fikes, Jose Tapia, Kiara Horton, Matt Salmon, Kelsey Calvez, Will Huff, Nina Reins and Katie Jones.
Photo courtesy Turner Industries
Turner Industries celebrated the grand opening of its state-of-the-art personnel and training facility in Pasadena, Texas. The 33,000-sq-ft facility serves as a one-stop shop for job applicants, allowing them to interview, complete medical testing and orientation and receive site-specific safety and craft training. The facility also includes a craft training lab that provides hands-on training for a variety of crafts, including rope access.
Photo courtesy MMR
Throughout February, MMR brought cancer awareness, education and screenings to its employees in Louisiana through Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center’s Prevention on the Go – Workplace Program. MMR also provided cancer prevention and education sessions and free, onsite skin cancer screenings at its Baton Rouge, Belle Chasse and Broussard offices.
MMR has participated in the program since 2018 to bring early detection, education and screenings to worksites. The firm has since provided onsite skin cancer, oral cancer and breast cancer screenings as well as tobacco cessation counseling to employees in the Greater Baton Rouge area and across South Louisiana.
Photo courtesy Impetus
New Orleans-based Impetus, a Palmisano Co., recently built a new home for a family in Mexico as part of the Youth With a Mission, Homes of Hope program, which provides debt-free homes to help leverage families out of poverty. An Impetus team of 14 built a home in Tijuana for Yesenia and her five children.
The Impetus team tackled the challenge of constructing a home on a cliffside jobsite with extremely difficult access and little area to prep. The 20-ft x 20-ft concrete slab had already been placed, so the team immediately got to work organizing materials, tools and assigning responsibilities. The team completed the wood-framed home in just two days.
Photo courtesy WT Byler Co.
Houston-based WT Byler Co. recently celebrated its purchase of an E-1500, the 1,500th piece of equipment purchased by the company since its inception. Local staff joined company leadership to celebrate the milestone. The purchase deal included 40 additional units purchased from Mustang-Cat. W.T. Byler currently has more than 700 units of construction equipment in its fleet, plus rolling stock and small equipment.
