Case Studies Region: Southwest

Paul Buckner isn’t a student, but he’s gone back to school. As the director of construction and energy management at Bryan Independent School District, Buckner is doing what he loves—reducing energy use and costs. He’s also discovering what goes into constructing school buildings, which is new for him. In learning more about construction, Buckner has […]

It’s the Wild West indeed when it comes to rental housing. So many incomers from all demographics, and while there’s not necessarily a shortage of apartment complexes and villages in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico, there is—in Ben Butler’s colorful words—an amenity war raging. The landlord who can provide the most comforts and conveniences will […]

Roger Davila doesn’t perform veterinary services, but he helps put pet owners at ease while their animal is being treated. As the director of real estate and construction for Pathway Vet Alliance, he keeps both human and animal comfort in mind as he works. He knows people don’t want to bring their sick or injured […]

There are many ways to prepare for the unexpected, and Jacob Linhart has made them part of his job as market director of facilities operations and construction for the Carondelet Health Network. Linhart won’t claim he foresaw the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020. However, his background in construction, heating, ventilation and air […]

The climate in Houston can be unforgiving to people and machinery. Long hot summers are humid enough to steam eyeglasses when someone steps outside from an air-conditioned building, and the area has been lashed by hurricanes and tropical storms, including Hurricane Harvey in 2017.  Then, a climate rarity occurred in February: a winter storm that brought snow and record low temperatures to Texas and the Gulf Coast, shutting down energy grids and the petrochemical industry.   Troy Donaldson, director […]

For many businesses in the U.S.—especially franchises—the pandemic has posed considerable challenges, from reduced store capacity to employee health and safety. But while some companies have had to scale back operations, others have found new opportunities for growth. One business that’s managed to thrive is Restore Hyper Wellness, a retail provider of services such as […]

He’s got lots of “Mister-izing” to oversee. Such as in the Tri-Cities region of southeast Washington state, where Mister Car Wash recently enhanced its status as the nation’s largest chain of its kind. It bought seven car washes in the municipalities of Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, and all either have been upgraded or are undergoing […]

Feminine, but with a fierce side. This is how Jessie Patrick describes herself. A diminutive and lithe ballerina by avocation and a school district’s construction director by vocation, her high heels just might be heard clicking on a concrete foundation. Or even on a roof. “I’ve heard I’m a lot more involved in being on-site […]

Determining where the renewable energy markets will go is like reading the tea leaves,  but under current market conditions the solar market is on the rise, says Willie De-Souza of Primoris Services Corp. One of the reasons for the uptick of activity at the Dallas-based holding company is the availability of tax credits for projects […]

When Andrea Grice joined Community Dental Partners in 2017, she was unsure about her new position—it was with a smaller company and in a different working environment altogether. But within a month she knew she’d made the right decision, relishing the freedom as the executive director of facilities to develop her department. Now business is […]