Author Archives: Courtney Tate

Project Update: Ennis Public Safety Facility

We are wrapping up our work constructing the City of Ennis new public safety facility! Finishing touches are being completed inside the building and the exterior will be complete in a couple of weeks. With combined police and fire components, this 38,000 SF building will be a hub of service to the Ennis community. We are proud of our work in collaboration with the City of Ennis, RBDR Architects and the entire project team.

Welcome New Team Member, Josh!

Please help us welcome Project Manager Josh and his family to the Can-Do Crew! Josh is a native of Louisiana and studied construction management at Louisiana State University. He brings years of experience on K-12 and municipal projects, making him a great fit for our project load.

Project Update: FWISD Northside High School

We are well underway at our Fort Worth ISD North Side High School project. Project Manager Chace reports that demolition and earthwork for the automotive shop addition have begun. Abatement and demolition are ongoing in the cafeteria and classrooms. Demolition and renovation are ongoing in the chemistry and life skills areas. The physical science labs are nearing completion. We are proud to work with WRA Architects. on this 119,000 SF renovation which has a budget of $25.2 M. This is our second project at the school. We built the culinary program addition a few years ago.

Project Update: Crowley ISD CTE Center

Our crew at the Crowley ISD Bill R. Johnson Career and Technology Education Center reached a key milestone that we have all been buzzing about (no pun intended). Our CTE Team placed this brightly colored airplane in a grand double-height space above the lecture stair area. This real plane serves as a focal point and also represents the aviation technology program offered at the school. Design by our frequent collaborator, VLK Architects.

Project Update: Tarrant County Juvenile Detention Center

There is a lot of action happening at our Tarrant County Juvenile Detention Center project. Superintendent Mauricio reports that electrical service from the existing building has been relocated. An existing power transformer has been replaced. We are prepping for concrete piers to be poured in the courtroom areas and soil is being treated for the court, housing and parking lot areas.

SFI Team Shows Meaningful Appreciation

One thing we like to do here at Steele & Freeman is show meaningful appreciation. Recently, Senior Project Manager Glenn Nowell expressed meaningful appreciation for Superintendent Gene’s work on our Community Crossroads project where we are creating classrooms and a playground as well as expanding restrooms and a meeting area. Glenn said Gene “gives the project VIGOR!” We’d like to give some kudos to Glenn for doing a great job on the project as well and for living out out Fundamentals by showing meaningful appreciation to his teammate. #TeamTeamTeam

This Is Why We Build.

As an essential business, we are pressing on with our work to build several schools among other projects. One of the sayings you hear in our office is “The kids are coming,” because we know – the kids are coming and the schools must be ready. This year when schools re-open, the kids will be more excited than ever to get into their new school spaces and see their friends. We are proud to help make that happen. Special thanks to Superintendent Sam for this beautiful photo of a concrete pour for 600 SF of paving at our Argyle High School phase II project. #ThisIsWhyWeBuild

Crowley ISD High School Athletics Bids Tomorrow

SUBCONTRACTORS: As an “essential business” we are pressing on with our projects employing every safety measure to protect our staff, subs, clients and partners. We have an opportunity this Thursday for subcontractors to bid on our $14.4M Crowley ISD High School Athletics project – deadline 2PM.

Use www.buildingconnected.com to submit your bid from a safe distance. As always, plans and specs are available on our online plan room: https://steelefreeman.com/plan-room-2/

Design by VLK Architects, Inc.

Join Us in Applauding Our Community Heroes!

Join the cities of Fort Worth and Dallas tonight at 7PM as they salute essential front line workers. Residents are encouraged to step outside their homes and applaud community heroes that have stepped up during this challenging time. Mayor Price has also asked that you blink your front porch light or make it blue if you can as a special ovation. Here’s to all the essential medical professionals, first responders, educators, construction industry, sanitation and agriculture workers!

Fort Worth ISD South Hills High School Project Bids Thursday!

We are electronically bidding our $40M Fort Worth ISD South Hills High School project this Thursday, April 9th! Use www.buildingconnected.com to bid electronically and keep a safe distance. As always, plans, specs and a video of the pre-bid meeting are all available on our online plan room: https://steelefreeman.com/plan-room-2/ Design by Jacobs & Associates Architects.

This project includes 80,000 SF of added square feet and 44,000 SF of renovations.

Staff Spotlight!

Meet Trenton (left) and Seri (right). Please note this photo was taken before the global virus outbreak and social distancing measures were enacted. Trenton and Seri recently received high praise from Superintendent Sam for their excellent work and dedication to safety on our $60M Argyle High School Phase II project. We wanted to give them a moment in the spotlight. Help us recognize these two hardworking team members!

We’re Hiring!

Despite the current situation, we press on with our work observing every precaution and then some. Commercial construction has been deemed an “essential business” that should carry on with prescribed safety measures. That said, we are currently accepting resumes for project superintendents with K-12 experience as well as project managers and assistant project managers. Send your qualifications to resumes@steelefreeman.com. Direct hire only! Recruiters will not receive a reply.

Iowa Park CISD Bids April 2nd!

Subcontractors: We are electronically bidding IOWA PARK ISD Bond Projects on Thursday APRIL 2nd through www.buildingconnected.com. As always, to view plans, specs and VIDEO of the pre-bid meeting, go to our virtual plan room: https://steelefreeman.com/plan-room-2/

Remember – we already have this project under contract! Best wishes everyone!

COVID-19 Update

Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by COVID-19. We are getting creative to distance ourselves using technology as well as added levels of sanitation and personal protective equipment (PPE) to keep everyone safe during this challenging time.

Lake Dallas ISD Bids this Thursday!

Subcontractors: We are electronically bidding Lake Dallas ISD Bond Projects on Thursday through www.buildingconnected.com. As always, to view plans, specs and video of the pre-bid meeting, go to our virtual plan room: https://steelefreeman.com/plan-room-2/

Remember – because we already have this project under contract, it is not a moving target! Best wishes everyone!

Client Testimonial

Our pre-construction team is responsible for setting up each project for success with meticulous analysis and ideas for creative and strategic solutions. They are also the key contact for our subcontractor community, responsible for our extensive sub outreach. Our team makes it easy for our subs to understand project plans so they can provide comprehensive bids that we can compare – apples-to-apples.

Our complete and organized plans encourage more subcontractors to bid our projects which results in the best pricing options for our clients. This benefits our subcontractor network by making the process efficient so they have time to bid on more projects giving them an opportunity to grow their business.

Here is a wonderful testimonial we received from one of our subs: “Whoever organizes your plans deserves some recognition. 50% of the plan sets we encounter are single-volume PDFs with no page naming. 49% have the pages labeled in the file name. Then there’s the 1% (Steele & Freeman) who not only break them out, keep the file naming consistent, but you break it out into separate folders.

Because they’re so well organized, I can get to work right away without wasting a lot of valuable time renaming pages and breaking them into separate files. I’m sure your other trades really appreciate it. We certainly do!”
– Jeremy

Pre-Bid Meeting for Iowa Park CISD

CALLING ALL SUBS: Steele & Freeman is bidding exciting K-12 multi-site bond projects for Iowa Park CISD!

Join us for the Pre-Bid Conference at 10AM Tuesday at Iowa Park High School (1 Bob Dawson Dr, Iowa Park, TX) to learn more about these projects in advance of the sub bidding.

Design by VLK Architects, Inc.

Type: Additions & renovations to Iowa Park High School, Bradford Elementary School, Kidwell Elementary School
Budget: $16.4M

Email: bids@steelefreeman.com
Plan room: https://steelefreeman.com/plan-room-2/

Pre-Bid Meeting for Lake Dallas ISD

CALLING ALL SUBS: Steele & Freeman is bidding exciting K-12 multi-site bond projects for Lake Dallas Independent School District!

Join us for the Pre-Bid Conference at 10AM Monday at Lake Dallas High School (3016 Parkridge Dr, Corinth, TX) to learn more about these projects in advance of the sub bidding.

Design by VLK Architects, Inc.

Type: Additions & renovations to Lake Dallas High School, Lake Dallas Middle School, Corinth Elementary, & Lake Dallas ISD Multi-Purpose Indoor Practice Facility
Budget: $48.3M

Email: bids@steelefreeman.com
Plans available in our plan room: https://steelefreeman.com/plan-room-2/

Project Update: Ennis Public Safety Facility

Things are progressing well at our Ennis Public Safety Facility! Project Manager Nathan reports that exterior masonry is wrapping up now and we have begun conditioning the building. Floors are being polished and overhead doors will be installed next week. This new 38,000 SF combined fire and police facility has a budget of $10M and was designed by RBDR Architects.

Special Thank You to Assistant PM Reilly Freeman!

Special thank you to Reilly Freeman for stepping up to write his thoughts on the Fundamental of the Week and elaborate on the subject in a video. Reilly explained what embracing a Can-Do Spirit means for our clients. It means they don’t hear they word ‘can’t.’ According to Reilly, saying ‘yes’ and finding a creative solution is just a lot more fun than saying ‘can’t’ and making an excuse. Spoken like a true Freeman!

Women In Construction: Marketing Coordinator Courtney

Continuing our Women in Construction Week theme, we’d like to introduce you to Marketing Coordinator Courtney. Courtney has been with Steele & Freeman about two years. She started with the company as an intern and was hired full time after graduation from TCU. “I enjoy working at Steele & Freeman because of our unique culture and the variety of people we get to meet through construction. I have learned so much already and continue to learn from my coworkers daily. I also like that each day holds a new challenge, so every day is a little different and keeps it interesting,” Courtney said. #wicweek2020

Welcome New Staff Member: Jayson!

Meet our new Associate Project Manager Jayson! Jayson has experience managing construction projects with special focus on abatement inspection and remediation. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Baylor University. Jayson will be assisting Project Manager Miguel on a municipal project. Please help us welcome, Jayson, his wife Karissa and his son Jax Hudson to the Steele & Freeman Family!

Women In Construction: Executive Assistant to the President Angie

Continuing our Women in Construction Week theme, meet Angie – Executive Assistant to the President (Mike Freeman). Angie has been with the company for three years. She says Steele & Freeman has been one of her most favorite jobs of her career. She is a busy mom of five and she says her favorite of our 23 Fundamentals is #9, Family is Everything. She likes the way Mike encourages staff to never miss an important moment with family. Though her responsibilities are always evolving – one thing stays the same…she gets things done! She enjoys having a “front row seat” watching projects go from concept to completion. Her favorite time of the day is Cuban Coffee Time AKA 2PM when she brews up an especially potent concoction of sugar and coffee to get everyone energized for the last part of the day. (We think that is also a lot of other people’s favorite time of the day well!!) If you are nice to Angie, she might you up a batch of her beef empanadas or guava pastries. #wicweek2020

Women In Construction: Director of Marketing & Communications Monica

As we continue with our Women in Construction Week theme, meet our Director of Marketing & Communications Monica deLaGarza. Monica has been with Steele & Freeman for three years. She leads new business pursuits and directs communications and branding for the firm. One of her favorite roles at work is fostering the culture of the company. Monica is often spotted out in the community representing the company. She is a graduate of TCU (journalism, advertising and PR) and will be starting business school there in the fall. Monica has more than 20 years of experience. She is a member of Leadership Fort Worth and was honored as a 40-Under-40 by the Fort Worth Business Press. She is currently serving as a board member for CREW Fort Worth and is a member of SMPS Fort Worth. Monica says she likes the way Steele & Freeman allows her to be an engaged and present mom with work / life integration. #wicweek2020

Women In Construction: Project Coordinator Janet

This week we are featuring our female team members in honor of National Women in Construction Week. Project Coordinator Janet has been with Steele & Freeman 22 years this May. She touches every single project that we work on through contract administration and processing. Janet said she truly enjoys her work and uses it as an opportunity to learning architectural and construction terminology. Janet goes above and beyond for the company by leading our annual company fishing retreat. She has announced she will retire this spring so she can spend more time with her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. Janet is also looking forward to traveling across the US to visit friends. Thank you for all you do, Janet!

Welcome New Staff Member!

We are excited to announce another new team member. Superintendent Steve is a seasoned professional with 40 years of experience. He likes to stay out of the spotlight so we don’t have a photo of him to share, but after thoroughly reviewing and discussing our 23 Fundamentals, Steve gave some great feedback that we’d like to share. He said, “You all are light years ahead in the way you treat people.” Please help us welcome Steve to the Can-Do Crew!

Thank You to Superintendent Sam!

Special thank you to Superintendent Sam for stepping up to do our weekly Fundamental as a video! Sam is celebrating 18 years with Steele & Freeman today and he is currently building our $60M Argyle High School Phase II project. These videos are for internal viewing by our team only but here is a screenshot.

New Project Announcement: Arlington Fire Station No. 1

Steele & Freeman is delighted to announce that we have been awarded a new project to reconstruct the City of Arlington’s Fire Station No. 1. This $8.9M facility will be located on West Main Street in Arlington across the street from Theater Arlington. Design by PGAL. This will be our first project with PGAL and the third fire station we have built for the City of Arlington.

SFI Attends NAMC Networking Event

Steele & Freeman was well-represented at the NAMC networking event on Tuesday. We actively market our projects to subcontractors to get the most competitive pricing for our clients. We are proud to sponsor this event geared to minority-owned subcontractors. Thank you to Jeff Postell and Post L Group Drywall & Acoustical Ceilings for hosting the event!

President Mike Freeman Featured in Fort Worth Inc. Magazine

If you haven’t seen this month’s issue of Fort Worth Inc. magazine, our company President, Mike Freeman is pictured on page 44. Mike likes to stay out of the spotlight, but he stepped up when Fort Worth Inc. called to schedule this shoot! The write up on Steele & Freeman is on page 41.
https://fwtx.com/magazines/magazine-digital-issue?issue=647929&i=1580502219

Project Update: Ennis Public Safety Facility

At our Ennis Public Safety Facility, Project Manager Nathan reports that in-wall blocking is complete with inspections for in-wall electrical and plumbing as the next step. After that, sheetrock will be installed. With this, the interior of the building is taking shape. One question – Who will be the first to get lost now that there are walls?!