Month: April 2013

JBH VP Maria Guy is board president for ACE Leadership High School, a new Albuquerque Charter School focused on developing student skills through an Architecture Construction and Engineering curriculum. The NM Building and Education Congress, a group formed by membership of the Associated General Contractors New Mexico Building Branch, founded ACE Leadership High.

About ACE Leadership High School
The mission of ACE Leadership High School is to equip young people who love to design and build things. To do this, our school will work closely with students, parents, families, community leaders and leaders in this profession to ensure that what we are teaching our students and how we are teaching them is both real-world and demanding enough to create a sustainable and powerful future for this industry in New Mexico.

We believe that to be most effective in delivering on our mission, the curriculum must integrate academic knowledge with trade skills and high levels of the professional “soft-skills” such as collaboration, communication and being client driven.

To aid with this unprecedented level of integration, we will have a Construction Coach on staff. The Construction Coach will help teachers develop projects that incorporate the industry processes and help us understand what types of real projects students can tackle and accomplish. He or she will also continue to connect the school to other construction professionals who wish to mentor our students.

If students are interested in ACE, we believe they will be active learners. Kids who think they want to be involved with designing and building communities are likely kids who learn best by doing.

The daily experience of students at ACE Leadership will reflect this understanding and can be summarized by the phrase, “Learning by doing, every day, in every class.” Typically, schools are not designed to create and sustain active learning. Yet, many students interested in working with their hands in traditionally designed schools wait all day, through classes that seem irrelevant to them, so that they can engage in their elective classes to learn with their hands.

Go to ACELeadership.org to learn about the school and its mission.

JBH apprentice Kris Gillham has completed his Local 412 Apprenticeship by not only winning the Pipefitting portion of the State of NM Apprenticeship contest, but going on to win the Western Regional’s contest.

In the 2- day state competition, Kris completed projects in the following individual categories; welding, T-Drills, soldering and brazing, rigging, and VIC along with a written assessment test.  After claiming the #1 spot in the state for the pipefitter apprentices, Kris was eligible to compete in the Western Regional’s competition against apprentices from 9 western states. With five years of intense training behind him, Kris beat 38 total contestants including 7 fellow pipefitters to win the competition. He is the first person on record from LU 412 to win regionally.

Kris excelled in a written test, completion of two isometrics drawings and individual projects in the following disciplines; brazing and soldering, screw pipe, rigging, tube bending and steel. Each of the 7 tasks was worth 100 points awarded by nationally recognized judges. Plumbers, welders, sprinkler fitters and HVAC technician apprentices joined the pipefitting apprentices to take part in the 3-day contest. By the 3rd day, Kris was awarded the most points overall on the pipefitting scorecard.

The next challenge for Kris is the National competition, which takes place in Ann Arbor, Michigan in August. According to LU 412 Assistant Training Coordinator Chuck Schumann, there are over 30,000 total  apprentices nationwide, making the 300 who competed regionally the top 1% of all national apprentices. Of that Top 1%, the 7 best in each category: pipefitting, plumbing, welding, sprinkler fitting and HVAC technician will compete in the national competition.

Kris has worked at JBH since he began his apprenticeship, starting out in our onsite pipe fabrication facility and most currently learning cutting-edge 3-D modeling software and supporting work at Sandia National Labs.

Congratulations Kris! Good luck at nationals!  

Then… 
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Jack B. Henderson Construction Company.  Jack was the modest son of a carpenter who returned to Clovis, New Mexico after serving his tour of duty in the service.  In Clovis he met his bride Joan Stroud and that’s where the JBH story begins.  Jack B. Henderson started his company on May 5, 1959. Jack led JBH through prosperous times and tough times when it seemed that he would never get another project.  Those first years taught my parents a lot about life and making your own way in this world. Through Jack’s perseverance and drive he began to develop relationships with the Atomic Energy Commission (now Sandia National Labs), Kirtland Air Force Base and PNM. JBH began doing architectural work for these customers, subcontracting all mechanical scopes. Back then JBH was a much smaller operation with Jack and Bob Poline running the show.  Bob worked with Jack on many projects over the years and was instrumental in the early days of JBH.  Bob was the field ace and Jack the estimator and all around business man. As their relationship with the Atomic Energy Commission strengthened, JBH began to secure additional work to build up their resume.

In 1967 JBH general contracting bids were being affected by a local mechanical strike. Jack asked the local mechanical contractors for pricing on projects and they refused saying they couldn’t price any work until the strike was settled. Failing to submit bids was not an option for JBH. Jack took the matter into his own hands and added mechanical contracting to the list of services JBH self-performed. Jack hired his brother in-law Leland Stroud on the Piping side and Paul Sims for HVAC.  Leland’s son John Stroud Sr. also joined JBH at this time.  With Leland and Paul’s guidance, Jack hired a few plumbers and tinners and the mechanical division was rolling. The sheet metal shop was added the same year.

Soon the modest carpenter’s son from Clovis was managing work at Sandia National Laboratories helping to develop the very first clean room.  JBH provided support in manufacturing computer chips capable of surviving nuclear exposure (a task that had never been done before) and helped develop the first semiconductor fab in Building 870 to get the job done. JBH continues to work at Building 870 today.

With the clean room experience gained at SNL, JBH looked toward another opportunity for high tech work. JBH knocked on the door of a Rio Rancho microelectronics manufacturer in the mid 80’s and finally got the opportunity to show our capabilities during a Fourth of July acid line removal project. We were the only contractor willing to risk the exposure to the acid. You may be familiar with the saying “it’s a tough job but someone has to do it.” We were and continue to be that someone.

And now… 
As the years have passed one thing has remained constant with JBH, we know for certain that we are only as good as our people and they are the reason for our long history in the construction industry and the community.  We find ourselves being challenged during the tough economy with staying the course, holding to our values, and honoring our people who in turn honor each other and the customers we are fortunate to work for.  The hard work of each geographic area of JBH results in our ability to maintain our revenue and continue to grow and prosper.  Jack would be proud to see the progress the company has made since those early days.

The Colorado Team is working hard developing new customers in the region and continues to support current customers who demand nothing but the best.  The Northern New Mexico Team is in the early stages of a large design build project that will keep folks working for years to come.  The Arizona Team is in its infancy and working hard to gain a solid market share of the next generation computer components.  The Rio Rancho Team is working on the next generation microchip and we will be challenged like never before to meet the demands of the production schedule while working safe and making sure we do the job right the first time.  The Albuquerque Team continues the work with SNL, UNM, APS and KAFB proving the value of our company with each completed project.

We can only wonder what mom and dad would think of their company as it is today.  We know they would be proud of each and every person on our team. We know that they would be proud to serve the customers we serve today and of the honesty, integrity, quality and safety values we hold dear.  Looking into the future we are so excited and anxious to continue the journey of building for the absolute best customers in the world and employing the very best people around.  Please join us in celebrating our 50th year in business and taking pride in our work and giving back to the community we live in.  We look forward to another 50 years of building futures while supporting our valued customers.  God bless you all! 

Mark & Linda Henderson

The Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce awarded JBH a Corporate Citizenship award for medium size business on March 23, 2009. Judges picked the finalists’ based on their economic goals, educational or social involvement and the ability to provide a safe and stable environment for customers and employees. The winners all have a presence in Albuquerque and have given back to the local community. ARCA, Exhibit Solutions of NM and SW Airlines were also awarded as the non-profit, small and large business, respectively.

JBH Ranks Locally and Nationally in 2008

JBH 2007 revenue and safety numbers have led to several rankings in the following industry publications; Plumbing and Mechanical Magazine, Engineering News Record, Southwest Contractor Magazine and the NM Business Weekly. JBH also received special safety recognition from the Associated General Contractors New Mexico Building Branch.

JBH 2008 Rankings:

Publication	Survey	JBH Ranking
NM Business Weekly	Best Places to Work	#2
NM Business Weekly	Top Mechanical Contractors (NM)	#3
SW Contractor Magazine	Top Specialty Mechanical/Plumbing (NM)	#3
SW Contractor Magazine	Top Specialty Contractors Mechanical (regionally AZ, NV, NM)	#7
NM Business Weekly	General Contractors New Mexico	#7
SW Contractor Magazine	Top Specialty Contractor Sheet Metal (regionally AZ, NV, NM)	#8
SW Contractor Magazine	Safest Specialty Contractor (regionally AZ, NV, NM)	#12
SW Contractor Magazine	Top Specialty Contractor Plumbing (regionally AZ, NV, NM)	#17
SW Contractor Magazine	Specialty Contractors (regionally AZ, NV, NM)	#38
Plumbing and Mechanical Magazine	The 2008 100 Pipe Trades Giants (nationally)	#67
Engineering News Record	Top 600 Specialty Contractors (nationally)	#323
Associated General Contractors of NM	Zero Incidence Rate – 50,000 work hours and over Building Division	N/A

JBH Strategic Project Office Director, Maria Guy has been named the 2008 President of the Associated General Contractors New Mexico Building Branch. Maria is the first woman President in the chapters 60 year history. As President, Maria shall be the executive officer of the Association and the Chairperson of the Board.  She will supervise and control all the business and affairs of the Association and will work with the various committees and develop good community relations.  She will be responsible at each Board Meeting to report on the status of the Association’s affairs.  She will preside at all meetings of the Association and the Board and shall appoint the members of all standing, special committees and joint committees unless otherwise provided. Maria will also be representing the NM Building Branch nationally at several association conventions and meetings throughout the year. Prior to being named President Maria was voted the chapters Member of the Year in 2005. She also served as Secretary/Treasurer in 2006 and Senior Vice-President in 2007. Other AGC officers elected for 2008 include Robert Lockwood, Lockwood Construction Company in Santa Fe, senior vice-president; Tony M. Thomas, Summit Construction Inc. in Albuquerque, vice president; and Shad James, Jaynes Corporation in Albuquerque, secretary-treasurer.

On December 7th, 2007, JBH was named the #1 Best Place to Work in the medium business size by NM Business Weekly. The award was made based on anonymous electronic surveys taken by employees in the Albuquerque and Rio Rancho offices. JBH received an overall score of 92.83 which translates to employees who are over 90% sure that the company and its leaders are headed in the right direction. Along with the award came a heartwarming article in the publication featuring interviews with JBH veteran employees, Eddie Gates and Jeanette Sanmann. As said by Eddie Gates, “Jack Henderson always made you feel that you’re more than just an employee. Mark is the same way. He makes you feel like you’re always special.” Eddie began at JBH as a pipefitter 34 years ago and is now essential to the success of our estimating department. His sentiments on the uniqueness of the company were echoed in the survey responses from JBH employees.

July 2007 Albuquerque, New Mexico- Jack B. Henderson Construction Company Inc. (JBHCC) had formed a Strategic Project Office (SPO). Their primary objective is to improve organizational performance by identifying and removing obstacles faced by those in managerial and supervisory positions directly involved with construction. The SPO will also be responsible for JBHCC marketing efforts. The SPO consists of Maria Guy, SPO Director; Tracy Lucero, Process Manager; John Attebury, Project Controls Manager and Melissa Padilla-Gomez, Marketing Administrator.

June 2007 Albuquerque, New Mexico- Adam Wagner has been hired as the Information Technology Manager for JB Henderson Construction (JBHCC). Adam brings over 11 years of experience in the IT industry to JBHCC. He will be responsible for management and maintenance of overall network configuration along with numerous information technology support systems for the company. Adam will serve JBHCC offices in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Los Alamos and Colorado Springs.

January 2007-Albuquerque – J.B. Henderson Construction Company (JBHCC) has been selected the 2007 Outstanding General Contractor of the Year by the Associated General Contractors. This award was voted on by the AGC of NM Chapter Membership. JBHCC was also recognized by New Mexico Business Weekly as one New Mexico’s Best Places to Work. This was determined by an internal survey which was tabulated by a third-party research company and ranked among other top New Mexico Companies.

January 2007-Albuquerque- Charlie Watson has been promoted to Controller for JB Henderson Construction Company (JBHCC). Charlie joined JBHCC in 2002 with the acquisition of Davis & Associates. Charlie brings fifteen years of accounting, finance, payroll, insurance and a variety of other construction related experience through his years of combined service. Charlie holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of New Mexico.