Issue 36
March 2019
Make a Difference: How Texas A&M University System’s HUB Program is Expanding its Reach in the Subcontractor Community
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation. It consists of 11 universities and seven state agencies, each with its own mission, history and goals. Each entity of the System abides by policies and regulations established by The A&M System Board of Regents, and although they…
$12B Texas bullet train construction could start this year
Texas Central Partners could begin construction on its $12 billion Dallas-to-Houston high-speed rail project in late 2019 or early 2020, according to The Houston Chronicle. The developer also has tentative plans for a midway stop near Texas A&M University in College Station or Bryan. The bullet train will be modeled after Japan’s Shinkansen high-speed train…
Bullet train takes aim at traffic and dangerous roads
Texas’ high-speed train ended 2018 with remarkable progress, putting Houston and the rest of the state another step closer to a dynamic and much-needed transportation choice. It is estimated that more than 1,100 people are moving to this great state every day, drawn by our economic dynamism and ability to elevate problem-solvers willing to take on the…
SMALL BUSINESSES BENEFIT THROUGH PORT CAPITAL PROJECTS FORUM
More than 150 local small business representatives attended the port’s Small Business Capital Improvement Projects and Subcontracting Opportunities Forum. Port Houston’s small business development program was created to provide opportunities for local small businesses to participate in contracting and procurement at the port. Key goals of the program are economic development, sustainability and growth of…
NEW PORT DISPATCH CENTER EQUIPPED FOR ECONOMIC BOON IN FREEPORT FREEPORT, TEXAS
A new port dispatch center could prove to have an invaluable economic impact on Freeport area jobs, the local shipping industry and beyond. The Port Freeport Commission voted unanimously to approve a contract for pilot dispatch services with Fort Velasco Signal Station, LLC for monitoring and managing the ship traffic coming in and out of…
U.S. Department of Labor Provides Compliance Assistance Resources to Protect Workers from Falls
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has developed a collection of compliance assistance resources to address falls in the workplace, the leading cause of worker fatality in the construction industry. OSHA’s goal is to promote awareness about common fall hazards in construction, educate job creators and workers on fall prevention,…
Safety professionals: Wearables can help mitigate the effects of jobsite fatigue
The American Society of Safety Professionals Foundation has released the results of a three-year study on worker fatigue that indicates that wearable technology could play a role in both better defining the problem of overtired workers and increasing safety on the job. In “Advancing Safety Surveillance Using Individualized Sensor Technology (ASSIST): Final Progress Report,” the…
FIVE TIPS TO ASSIST CONTRACTORS IN OBTAINING THE NEXT BUILDING PERMIT
By: Helen Callier When faced with repeated delays in obtaining city building permits, do you continue to go back and forth to meet with the Plan Reviewers in hopes that today will be the magical day? Do you scratch your head and wonder what the notice on the website means when it says 15-day plan…
A DATA TRANSFORMATION IN AMERICA’S ENERGY FRONTIER
Welcome to the oilfield of the future, where wells across hundreds of miles communicate with each other and operators can rely on data-driven insights and real-time automation to make faster, smarter decisions. Often found in remote corners of the world, these fields of the future will rely on a similar digital network that everyday consumers…
Debt Collection, Part 1: Reducing Your Risk
It’s been three months and your client still hasn’t paid his overdue bill for the work you performed. What do you do now? Fortunately, the State of Texas has laws in place that protect business owners, allowing you to collect on a debt, but only when the proper protocols are followed. The Cromeens Law Firm…
Companies look to partnerships to survive digital transformation
Businesses are looking for partnerships to help guide them through a period of digital transformation, according to a report from Information Services Group (ISG). Areas of focus include lean project management, agile software development and customer journey mapping, among others. Stakeholder and product relationships, virtualization of some operations, and long-term feedback and analytics are key in enabling companies…
CREATING GASOLINE TODAY THAT WILL FUEL CARS OF TOMORROW
It sounds like the stuff of movies and sci-fi novels, but in a small pilot lab in Clinton, New Jersey, an elite group of ExxonMobil engineers is developing gasoline of the future. Creating fuel for cars that aren’t even on the market seems outrageous—impossible, even—but it’s happening now. But how do these scientists know what…
South Texas county backs $1.8B steel mill project with new reinvestment zone
Commissioners in San Patricio County, Texas, took the first step last week in securing a $1.8 billion Steel Dynamics mill for the Corpus Christi area by voting unanimously to create a reinvestment zone that includes the approximately 2,500-acre piece of land on which the company would build the plant, according to The Corpus Christi Caller…
Houston suburb looking for private partner to develop new hotel, convention center
The Houston suburb of Sugar Land, Texas, has started a search for a private partner to help develop, build and operate a new hotel and convention center. The city issued a request for statements of interest on Jan. 18. The project will include a full-service hotel with 350 rooms, a convention center of up to…
Five ways architects can protect their data
As data privacy concerns make headlines, architects should consider how much they share when specifying products Building products have always made up a significant portion of construction project budgets, and the specification of those materials takes up a large amount of architects’ time. But while product selection was once generic and took place in a…
Form and Function: Fort Bend County Library System’s New Mission Bend Branch
About AUTOARCH AUTOARCH Architects, LLC is a comprehensive, woman-owned and Houston-based architectural and planning firm with more than 28 years of experience. In close to three decades, they have successfully focused on designing buildings for education and institutional clients, with projects in K-12, higher education, career and technology. Through their emphasis in their approach on…
Issue 35
February 2019
Railroad Commission Launches Texas’ First Online Searchable Database of Oil & Gas Inspection and Enforcement Data
The Railroad Commission of Texas launched its RRC Online Inspection Lookup (OIL) tool for searching statewide oil and gas inspection and enforcement information, including notices of violation and intentions to sever leases. For the first time in RRC history, RRC OIL allows anyone, anywhere at any time to search online records of oil and gas…