Newsletter:  May 2005 a "They always have things ready for you and they keep things moving forward." – Kevin Delong, LeDuc & Dexter Residential Superintendent speaking about Ryder Homes "I would imagine that we could put 20 plumbers on a job at this point if we needed to." – Bill Zeeb, LeDuc & Dexter Commercial Manager "We have members from all over the United States and we all have ideas that can help each other." – Art Dexter, LeDuc & Dexter Vice President & COO

Estates at Vintana

Residential

LeDuc & Dexter utility truck loaded with wastewater piping at the Estates at Vintana. (click image to enlarge)

For or the past five years Ryder Homes has been building Vintana, a community of single-family homes in Windsor near the new Town Green and Windsor High School. Ryder Homes has sold over 300 of the 1,834 to 2,855 square foot houses that come in five separate floor plans. The 6th phase of construction is underway.

 

LeDuc & Dexter's Polo Gonzalez screws down floor after making wastewater connections. (click image to enlarge)

The seventh and final phase, Estates at Vintana, is also being built. Estates at Vintana are styled after the grand Sonoma County ranches with five floor plans that range from 2,131 to 3,302 square feet, the most spacious homes in the Vintana community, with lots that exceed 12,000 square feet.

For the past two years LeDuc & Dexter have been working at Vintana doing the complete plumbing infrastructure including the fire sprinklers. LeDuc & Dexter came on the project when phase 4 was starting. When the entire project is completed LeDuc & Dexter will have completed over 275 of the 501 homes at Vintana.

Hiram Garcia solders copper water piping. (click image to enlarge)

Foreman Arturo Herrera sets joist blocking to hang wastewater supports. (click image to enlarge)

LeDuc & Dexter Residential Superintendent Kevin Delong finds Ryder Homes good to work with, "They always have things ready for you and they keep things moving forward. Our foreman, Arturo Herrera, gets everything he needs and they answer all of his questions. They (Ryder Homes) handle just about everything onsite, I just need to schedule the work."

The schedule is picking up a bit as the project moves to completion. Estates at Vintana is considered a separate project from the rest of Vintana so an extra crew may be required to work on it as phase 6 is still in progress." I have 4 plumbers and one fire sprinkler installer on phase 6 and we may have another crew like that for Estates soon," says Delong. LeDuc & Dexter has one of the larger labor pools in the area so they are able to accommodate a schedule like this

Manpower Advantage

Commercial

LeDuc & Dexter's Sam Samay carries copper pipe into dormitory project. (click image to enlarge)

Normally a construction project is built in phases. For LeDuc & Dexter's commercial department the first phase is under slab plumbing. The second phase is the rough plumbing and the final phase is the trim work. Not so in a current project, the student dormitory for the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena.

 

Large copper piping for hot and cold water with return line in the middle situated above the ceiling. (click image to enlarge)

This remodel project has required a steady and constant resource of manpower from LeDuc & Dexter to keep up with the fast-paced tempo set by the general contractor Wright Contracting in order to finish the project in time for school term starting in August.

"We haven't worked in phases on this project. Normally we do one phase, leave and come back for the next phase. Because of the existing shell we started with, we've worked steadily since day one," says Bill Zeeb, Commercial Manager for LeDuc & Dexter, "After we cut the floor and completed the under slab plumbing we went right into the rough plumbing stage and when we're through with that we'll likely go right into the trim."

Brian Rosencutter finds the path for wastewater piping. (click image to enlarge)

LeDuc & Dexter Foreman Jeff Shank reviews project plans. (click image to enlarge)

LeDuc & Dexter has had as many as 10 people on this job and most days it's been 6 to 8 plumbers working to keep on schedule. Because of their large labor pool, LeDuc & Dexter is able to take on a job like this and perform for 5 or 6 months without having to pull plumbers off this project to work elsewhere. LeDuc & Dexter currently has between 40 and 50 plumbers working on various projects for residential and residential fire sprinklers, commercial and hydronics.

"I am constantly looking to hire good plumbers," says Art Dexter, Vice President and COO of LeDuc & Dexter, 'If we hire a commercial plumber that can also work in residential we'll use him there when we need to." It's a balancing act to keep all departments running on schedule, but LeDuc & Dexter's labor resources helps in that regard.

Gonzalo Ochoa solders overhead copper piping. (click image to enlarge)

Frank Mello solders copper waterline for one of 40 dorm rooms that each have their own toilet, sink and shower. (click image to enlarge)

It is also an advantage that allows LeDuc & Dexter to take on jobs like River Terrace Inn in Napa, "We were using 15 plumbers at times on that job," says Zeeb, "I would imagine that we could put 20 plumbers on a job at this point if we needed to." With the rain slowing down and the "construction season" coming on the hiring continues at LeDuc & Dexter.

Art Dexter – CCA Chairman of the Board

The Industry

Art Dexter is the new CCA Chairman of the Board of Trustees. The members of the CCA (Construction Contractors' Alliance) elected Dexter to his one-year term, which began last month. The CCA is an enhanced service group of PHCC, the oldest U.S. trade organization, representing plumbing, heating and cooling contractors since 1883. CCA is a group of about 40 large, progressive contractors from across the U.S., that meet to share plans and ideas that can help members become more professional and profitable in their businesses. Art Dexter and Tom LeDuc, co-owners of LeDuc & Dexter, Inc., are charter members of CCA, which was founded in 1998. Prior to becoming Chairman of the Board, Dexter had been a Board member since March, 2004.

Art Dexter, Vice President & COO of LeDuc & Dexter, Inc. has been elected Chairman of The Board of Trustees of the CCA.

As Chairman, Dexter feels his most important duties are "gathering ideas and speakers for the meetings." Dexter is quick to point out that he and the CCA members get a tremendous amount of support from PHCC and in particular, Charlotte Perham, PHCC Communications Director. "Charlotte really makes us look good.  She helps keep us organized." Art Dexter has found the CCA to be a valuable tool for himself, Tom LeDuc and the management team at LeDuc & Dexter. Last month CCA held a Purchasing Agent Meeting in Las Vegas, which Dexter presided over with Shawn Erickson of CJ Erickson Plumbing from Illinois. Dale Bettcher , LeDuc & Dexter's Purchasing Agent, also attended the meeting. The Purchasing Agent Meeting covered "Organizational Structure," "Purchasing Issues between Shop and Field," "How to Build an Effective Relationship with Your Wholesaler" and "Inventory and Materials Management." "It's a challenge to transfer what I hear at these meetings back to our managers and employees," says Dexter, "It's much more effective to have them attend and hear it from their peers in other companies that are actually doing these things. We have members from all over the United States and we all have ideas that can help each other."