In early August, just in time for school to start, Slack & Co. finished work at KIPP Liberation campus, a school built in honor of former Houston Mayor Bob Lanier. Even though teams faced a condensed project schedule, with planning and a flexible crew, Slack & Co. was able to complete the project on time, without missing a beat.
Read the whole story on our electronic newsletter, the Track Record.
On September 20, 2010 Slack & Co. Contracting, Inc. opened an office in San Antonio, Texas. Part of the company’s strategic growth plan, the office will serve as home-base for projects in the San Antonio and South Texas region.
The San Antonio office will be managed by Greg Wilkison. Wilkison joined the Slack & Co. team earlier this year when plans began to unfold to expand services to the new region. He has 30 years of experience working in the San Antonio area.
“Many of the clients we have long-term relationships with also do work in the San Antonio area and have asked us to bid jobs for them over the years,” says Slack & Co. President, Jim Slack, Jr. “Because of these existing relationships and many new opportunities available in the San Antonio and South Texas markets, we feel it is an opportune time to expand our company to the region.”
Slack & Co. began it’s first project in San Antonio for Bexar County in early October.
San Antonio Office:
9504 IH 35 N, Suite 205
San Antonio, TX 78233
Phone: 210-569-0500
Fax: 210-654-0545
When the plans first began to unfold for construction of a new office space, as building owner and president of my company, I wanted specialty contractors on the project team to be part of the design and involved in setting goals for the project. Collaboration among the project team was so important to me that an incentive pool was created to reward the team based on their group performance and achievement of collective goals rather than success by individual contractors.
Part way through the project, one of the specialty contractors on the team suggested the project team donate their bonuses to three industry organization scholarship funds in Houston.
I was more than happy to support my project team in their decision to donate their bonuses to scholarship funds. Promoting careers in the construction industry is something we all feel passionately about. By giving to scholarship funds, we are assisting students in their construction-oriented education and helping prepare the future leaders of our industry for successful careers.
At the completion of the Slack & Co. Office Building Project, the total project bonus pool of $67,933.27 was divided evenly to be donated to the Associated General Contractors Houston Chapter’s Patrick J. Kiley Scholarship Fund, the America Subcontractors Association Houston Chapter’s Brian T. Harrington Scholarship Fund and the Houston Contractors Association’s R.P. Doss Scholarship Fund. Project team members who contributed to the donation include: Accurate Air, Inc.; Astro Fence Company; Avadek; CAPP Electric Company; Fast Track Specialties; J.M. Maly, Inc.; Karsten Interior Services, LP; Superior Building Systems; T.A.S. Commercial Concrete; TE-KO Contractors; Element Architects; Pin Oak Interests; and Attorney Curt Martin from of Ford Nassen & Baldwin, P.C.
The first of these donations will be made to the American Subcontractors Association on August 19.
Slack & Co. Contracting, Inc. is one of 21 Houston Contractors Association (HCA) members participating in the City of Houston’s “Demolition Day” on May 22. Slack & Co. will be supplying crews and equipment to tear down eight houses in the greater Houston area.
On April 8, 2010, Mayor Anise Parker delivered her State of the City Address, declaring May 22 “Demolition Day”—a day when the City of Houston will team up with HCA to tear down approximately 100 abandoned and dangerous homes in Houston. Demolishing these buildings takes a stride towards the Mayor’s goal of making Houston neighborhoods safer for residents.
“This [event] would not be possible without the help of the Houston Contractors Association, which is donating the demolition services for the effort,” Mayor Parker stated in her address. “It’s a win-win-win: good for the neighborhoods, good for public safety and good for public health.”
“Slack & Co. is glad to be a part of the HCA and it’s legacy of working with the City of Houston for the betterment of Houstonians,” says Slack & Co. President Jim Slack who is also President of HCA. “Further, as President of the Houston Contractors Association, our organization will continue to work with and support Mayor Parker in making Houston a better place to live and work.”
An address by Mayor Parker and Jim Slack, Jr. will kick-off “Demolition Day” at 10:00 a.m.
Recently on Twitter, I posted a quote by Tony Blair: “Sometimes it is better to lose and do the right thing than to win and do the wrong thing.” This quote perfectly summarizes my perspective on the construction industry’s bidding issues I shared one year ago, today, in the post, “Can You Afford the Lowest Bid?”
Unfortunately for specialty contractors, doing the right thing and presenting complete bids often means higher prices and work lost to contractors with low-priced, intentionally incomplete bids. As strong as the temptation is to do anything you can to win work, it is far better to be honest than to win, especially when winning means you must sacrifice what was right for success. Not only does lack of integrity damage personal and company image, it also tarnishes the reputation of the entire industry.
The fact of matter is that every player in the industry relies on someone else to get their jobs done. Owners rely on general contractors; general contractors on specialty contractors; specialty contractors on vendors and suppliers. General contractors need to recognize who their quality specialty contractors are and help them secure enough work to survive. In the same way, specialty contractors need to take steps to help their quality vendors and suppliers. If we can all protect our good contractors and vendors and improve those relationships, we’ll benefit in the long run by creating more cohesive project teams that work together for the good of the project, which has greater benefit than working for individual gain.
I want to commend those of you who have not compromised your core values to win work. It is my firm belief that honesty always wins out. I’m seeing it now with my company as work is increasing each week, and I’ve heard similar stories from my colleagues.
So today, on the anniversary of our blog, I’d like to re-open a discussion we started exactly one-year ago. What are your views of the current bidding situation in our industry? How has standing for integrity given you success in the long-run? What work is there still to be done to improve the relationship between general contractors and specialty contractors?
Slack & Co. Contracting, Inc. recently completed the site utilities at Hermann Park Lake Plaza, working with general contractor Vaughn Construction. Slack & Co.’s project scope included sanitary sewer lift station and piping, storm drainage and irrigation. The project was awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGB).
Hermann Park Lake Plaza is one of 30 Houston area projects that have been awarded Gold level certification.
As a specialty contractor, we are taking steps to ensure we can meet the requirements of each green project—from using hybrid equipment in the field, to conserving energy in our office. I am proud that Slack & Co. was selected by Vaughn Construction to work on a LEED Gold project and look forward to working on many more.
The USGBC created LEED Certification is a rating system for green building. There are four tiers to LEED, Certified (minimum points), Sliver Certified, Gold Certified and Platinum Certified. Points are earned based on performance in several key areas including, water efficiency, innovation in design, energy conservation, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. More information on LEED can be found at the USGBC Web site, www.usgbc.org.
In the most recent edition of Slack & Co.’s Track Record newsletter, my friend and colleague, Stan Marek, wrote a guest article issuing a call for firms in the construction industry to embrace higher values. The views shared in Stan’s article align closely with those I shared in the post, Can You Afford the Lowest Bid? and I am encouraged to see others in the industry demanding change in the way we run our businesses.
I hope you’ll take a moment to read this article and use this space to engage in a discussion about the changes we can start making in our companies today.
If you didn’t receive a copy of the Track Record, read Stan’s article, “Time for Construction to Embrace Higher Values,” by clicking here.
Also, the Track Record is going green!
Beginning with our next issue, the Slack & Co. Track Record will be sent via e-mail rather than postal mail. If you don’t currently recieve our newsletter, contact our marketing department by filling out the form below and we’ll be sure to add you to our list.
I have been a long-term believer in the power of strategic marketing and its role in shaping our company’s professional image. Therefore it’s an honor to have received three Gold ADDYs for our marketing efforts in 2009.
On February 13, I had the privilege of joining our marketing firm, Communications Plus, at the American Advertising Federation Houston ADDY Awards Gala. According to The ADDY Rules/Guidelines & Categories handbook, The ADDY Awards is the largest and most representative awards competition in the advertising industry. Gold and silver ADDYs as well as citations of excellence are awarded, with a Gold ADDY going to entrants that demonstrate the highest level of creative excellence in their category.
This year, Communications Plus entered it’s work on our 2009 marketing campaign in three categories: Direct Mail B-to-B, Ads in a Consumer or Trade Publication and Mixed/Multiple Media. These entries were awarded highest honors in their categories, bringing home three Gold ADDY Awards and will advance to the Regional ADDY competition.
I am extremely proud of our campaigns and of the great work Communications Plus does, and am thrilled to have three new golden trophies decorating our office.
On Friday, January 29, the Houston chapter of the American Subcontractors Association (ASA) held the 13th Annual Excellence in Construction Awards ceremony at the Junior League of Houston. Our new office building and maintenance facility (built by Construction Manager Linbeck) won the Project of the Year Award in the Projects Under $5 Million category.
Winners of Excellence in Construction Awards are nominated and voted for by chapter members. Awards are given in eight categories, including Project of the Year (over $15 million, $5-15 million and under $5 million), General Contractor of the Year, Architectural/Engineering Firm of the Year, Project Manager of the Year, Project Superintendent of the Year, and Safety Director of the Year.
It is an honor that our project was selected by our fellow members for this prestigious award. Congratulations to Linbeck, Owner’s Representative Pin Oak Interests, Architect Michael Graham, and all the specialty contractors that worked so hard on this project.
A complete list of this year’s Excellence in Construction Awards winners can be found on the ASA-Houston Chapter’s Web site by clicking on the Special Events page.
You may have noticed Slack & Co. has made a couple of changes recently. From our office building to our Web site, we have a new look that we are proud of!
Our new office building (located at 2990 Holmes Road, Houston, TX 77051) was completed in the middle of December and we moved to the new location right away. You may remember some of our departments were previously located in temporary buildings due to growth in recent years. Our new office has plenty of room for all of us under one roof! We’ve already found this has increased productivity and collaboration across departments, allowing us to better serve our clients.
In addition to these physical changes, the updates we’ve made to our Web site provide us the opportunity to better communicate with our clients and vendors via the Internet. One of the most exciting additions to the site is our company video. Check it out! You’re sure to see some familiar faces as you hear more about how Slack & Co. is working to build success for our clients, vendors and employees.
