Houston-Based International Firm Grows With Acquisition

The Woodlands-based CBI acquires New Jersey-based business for $950 million with anticipation of generating more than $1 billion in revenues this year.

CB&I to Acquire Lummus Global for $950 Million

CB&I of The Woodlands recently announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Lummus Global business from ABB of Bloomfield, N.J., for an enterprise value of $950 million on a debt and cash free basis, subject to adjustments at closing. The acquisition is expected to close by end of the fourth quarter of 2007, pending CB&I shareholder and customary regulatory approvals.

Lummus Global – with offices in Houston – provides process technologies used in the oil and gas and petrochemical industries, as well as a global EPC contractor. The company is recognized for its expertise in ethylene and olefins technologies.

King Engineering Expands into Austin with Acquisition of Firm

Jacksonville, Fla.,-based King Engineering Associates recently announced the acquisition of civil engineering firm Googins and Associates LLC of Austin.

Aaron Googins, founder and president of Googins and Associates, will join King Engineering as vice president for the Texas market. In this role, Googins will coordinate activity for the Texas market and be responsible for that profit center.

King provides services such as civil and environmental engineering; surveying and mapping; transportation engineering and planning; ecological services; landscape architecture; geographical information services; and construction administration to public and private sector clients. The Austin office is King’s first expansion outside of Florida.

Houston ASA Chapter Selects New President, Board

Jim Slack, president of Slack & Co. Contracting Inc. of Houston, has been named president of the American Subcontractors Association - Houston Chapter. An active member of the Houston construction industry with more than 30 years experience in the business, Slack has served on the board since 2002. Elected to a two-year term through June 2008, he will succeed outgoing president Craig Kramer of Astro Fence of Houston, who was recently named chapter president of the year for 2006 by the ASA national chapter.

Other officers elected to new positions include president-elect Mike Holland of Marek Brother Systems of Houston and secretary/treasurer Shannon Smith with MEMCO of Houston.

ASA also welcomed the following new directors: Walter Church of Berger Iron Works; Claude Guillemette of Clyde Electrical & Mechanical; and Dough Hidalgo of Hidalgo, Banfill, Zlotnik & Kermali PC. Returning directors include Lee Aitken of Holes Inc.; Art Canales of Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing; Cheryl Colson of Insurance Alliance; Troy Garrett of Lucia Group; Jan Maly of J.M. Maly Inc.; Ben Torrance of Enterprise Bank; and Craig Kramer of Astro Fence Co.; all of Houston.

Jaster-Quintanilla Lands Multiple Projects in Tarrant County

Dallas-based Jaster-Quintanilla, whose Fort Worth office opened recently to accommodate growth in the market, will provide engineering services on projects representing more than $300 million in new construction activity in Tarrant County.

One such assignment includes engineering services for the new 250,000-sq-ft, multi-story, maximum-security Tarrant County Jail which will be built on the site of the county’s Muller Building, across from the Tarrant County Corrections Center. A tunnel under the street will connect the new jail to the existing jail and courts. As part of a $433 million bond package approved last year, the project has an estimated construction cost of $75 million. Construction is slated to begin in 2009 with an anticipated completion date in 2012.

The firm was also selected as structural engineer for the new Evangelism and Missions Building on the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. The building consists of a steel-framed structure with approximately 66,000 sq ft for classrooms, gallery/lobby and administrative offices. Dallas-based Beck Group is the architect for the project.

JQ will also provide structural engineering services for the construction of a new 90,000-sq-ft chapel seating 2,800 at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a $27 million construction project. The Beck Group serves as that project’s architect.

Manor ISD Dedicates New Tech High School

The first phase of Manor New Tech High School in the Manor Independent School District opened this school year. The opening was marked with a special event featuring Gov. Rick Perry along with members of the Manor Education Foundation, the Texas Education Agency and other district partners.

The new high school represents one of the proposed 35 schools scheduled to participate in the Texas Science, Technology, Engineering & Math initiative. The $71 million project is designed to improve instruction and academic performance at high schools across the state.

Austin-based architecture and engineering firm O’Connell Robertson provided architecture and MEP engineering services for the first phase and will continue with the second phase.

The school serves as a magnet high school focused on computer technology and project-based instruction and has a one to one student to computer ratio. At full capacity, the project will serve 500 students in grades nine through 12.

The dedication celebrated the opening of the first phase, which renovated an existing middle school campus to accommodate approximately 300 ninth and tenth grade students. Design is currently underway for Phase II of the Manor New Tech High School project, scheduled to open in August 2008.

Dallas AIA Names Adolfson & Peterson Contractor of the Year

Adolfson & Peterson Construction has been selected as the 2007 Contractor of the Year by the American Institute of Architects Dallas Chapter.

“This is a great honor for us,” says Will Hodges, vice president of operations in Texas. “It confirms one of the company’s mission statements to achieve the needs of our clients through 100% client loyalty. It’s about great teamwork and understanding of client issues. It’s also about establishing and maintaining nurturing relationships with owners, architects, subcontractors, and the community as a whole.”

A&P Construction received the distinguished award for its advocacy and implementation of sustainable measures in architecture. The firm has a professional pool of LEED and Green Advantage accredited personnel company-wide. The AIA Dallas Chapter also recognized the company for its commitment to a “corporate culture that continuously endeavors for distinction.” Quality of work performed and strong leadership in the advancement of the built environment were other factors acknowledged by the AIA Dallas Chapter members.

As an association, the AIA Dallas Chapter seeks to “encourage, promote, advance, and coordinate efforts” within the community in order to maintain the utmost principles of the architectural profession. It not only advocates equal participation for everyone, but also fosters communication, education, public policy and use of the AIA as a resource.