Issue 45
December 2019
SMALL BUSINESS GRADUATES HONORED BY INTERAGENCY MENTOR PROTÉGÉ PROGRAM
Port Houston’s small business and education outreach department recently hosted a graduation reception for the Interagency Mentor Protégé Program 2019 class on the M/V Sam Houston. With the guidance of local agencies, twenty-one protégés are now on the path to discovering new resources and taking their companies to new heights after completing the program. The…
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACT APPROVED FOR HOUSTON SHIP CHANNEL EXPANSION PROJECT
A professional services contract of $5.5 million was approved by the Port Commission and awarded to TC&B/GBA, a joint venture of Turner Collie and Braden, Inc. and Gahagan & Bryant Associates, Inc. at the September Port Commission meeting. The ship channel expansion work includes critical-path professional services for engineering, design and project coordination. The widening…
Port Commission Approves 2020 Operating and Capital Budget
Demonstrating commitment to strategic vision and stewardship The Fiscal Year 2020 Operating and Capital Budget was approved Monday during the Annual Budget Workshop, a special meeting of the Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority. Port Commission Chairman Ric Campo applauded Port Houston staff for doing a great job positioning the port to deliver…
Construction Safety at Heights
The very top of a construction project may have the biggest impact on a company’s bottom line. Workers for The Boldt Company, a member of multiple AGC chapters, routinely work 120-130 feet in the air on large power and industrial plant jobsites and the slightest misstep could result in personal injury and devastating losses to…
Autodesk and AGC to Provide Construction Industry with Custom-Fitting Safety Harnesses for Women
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), falls are the leading cause of private sector worker fatalities in the construction industry. Everyone who works at heights, whether it’s on a roof, scaffolding, or the edge of a tall building, should have properly fitting safety harnesses, yet not all contractors have the supply they need to…
HERE ARE 21 SURPRISE WAYS TO AVOID DELAYS IN PERMITTING IN THE NEW YEAR
We receive many calls from Contractors, Project Owners and Architects from across the country. Many are frustrated with their plans being stuck in permitting with no glimmer of hope that their permit will be issued any time soon. Some of these calls reveal tough designs that require changes to meet building codes and from reviewing…
PERMIAN BASIN: GROWTH ON THE HORIZON
For decades, the Ghawar field in Saudia Arabia stood alone as the most productive energy resource on the global stage – a behemoth of energy supplying much of the world’s demand. This year, though, marked an unprecedented shakeup in the energy ranking with a resurgent Permian Basin outpacing Ghawar in production. The Permian Basin –…
Oil and Gas Sees Widescale VR Deployment
The oil and gas industry is witnessing wide-scale deployment of virtual reality (VR) technology across its value chain. That’s according to GlobalData, which has produced a new report exploring how VR is finding its way into the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors. In the report, the company identified the following oil and gas players among…
Innovations enhancing jobsite intelligence
In today’s competitive landscape, construction firms need to leverage current technologies in their business strategy. Innovations in site monitoring alone have proven to increase efficiency and productivity while improving communication. The insights that real-time jobsite monitoring deliver can transform how you manage your projects. The visual data collected during the execution phase can significantly influence…
Houston Manufacturers: Positive Environment Will Help Expand Local Operations
Major manufacturers in Houston are bullish on their expansion plans in the region, which could help bolster Houston’s identity as a hub for various segments of the industry. That was one of the main discussion points at the Greater Houston Partnership’s Manufacturing Industry Forum on November 6. Mike Molnar, Founding Director of the Office of…
WBCS Member Creates Program to Help WBEs Reduce Energy Costs
Melinda Zito O’Brien, Founder and Owner of Energy Utility Group, started working in the energy sector after seeing a new opportunity emerge as energy became deregulated in the U.S. And now she’s on a mission to help fellow Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) reduce their energy costs while incorporating sustainability into their operations. Join us as…
Texas DOT stops construction of $800M FIGG-designed Harbor Bridge
The Texas DOT (TxDOT) has halted design work on the $803 million replacement of the Harbor Bridge in Corpus Christi, Texas, amid reports that FIGG Bridge Engineers Inc. has been removed from the project, according to KRIS-TV. The National Transportation Safety Board last month named FIGG’s design errors as the probable cause of the deadly March 2018 pedestrian bridge…
City of San Antonio releases the first Procurement Guide to help small business owners apply for City contracts
The City of San Antonio released the first Procurement Guide today in an effort to help small, minority, and women-owned business enterprises (S/M/WBEs) navigate through the City contract bidding process. It outlines more than 300 upcoming projects among various City departments to serve as a planning tool for business owners and provide more time to…
AIA updates construction management contract documents
The American Institute of Architects has announced that it will issue 13 new and updated documents for its Construction Manager as Constructor (CMc) and Construction Manager as Adviser (CMa) series. The updated CMc documents will be available Nov. 15, while the CMa series will be released in February 2020. Changes to the CMc documents, used…
Working to Make A Difference— UH HUB Program Provides “Change Agent” Opportunities for Vendor Participation
With a mission to be a valuable change agent toward increasing contracting opportunities for historically underutilized businesses (HUBs), the University of Houston HUB program provided the chance for attendees to learn more information about key construction projects at the Construction Projects Informational Meeting held last month, which included panelists and contractors supporting the UH College…
Issue 44
November 2019
Business for All: Inside Bexar County’s Small Business and Entrepreneurship Department
Since 2001, Bexar County’s Small Business and Entrepreneurship Department has made it their mission to create an environment where small businesses can thrive, leading to a more sustainable economic future for Bexar County. The department works to increase small, minority and women owned business participation in county projects and procurement through public, non-profit and private…
Rice & Gardner Consultants Inc.
When Rice & Gardner Consultants Inc. was founded in 2005, it began as an opportunity for Jim Rice and Kevin Gardner to merge a set of complementary services: program management and building commissioning. However, more importantly, the company’s inception was based on a vision: to truly serve their clients and the communities in which they…
City of Houston-OBO
OFFICE OF BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY The Office of Business Opportunity is committed to cultivating a competitive and diverse economic environment in the City of Houston by promoting the success of small businesses and developing Houston’s workforce, with special emphasis on historically underutilized businesses and disenfranchised individuals.