Tag: design

  • Miles for Meals Fun Run 2022: Get Active, Help those in Need

    Miles for Meals Fun Run 2022: Get Active, Help those in Need

    Here’s some preliminary info on this great annual event

    We’re really looking forward to the upcoming Miles for Meals Fun Run 2022 and being a sponsor of this great event yet another year.

    The Fun Run is organized by Meals on Wheels Montgomery County (Texas).  These awesome people work all year long to coordinate volunteer efforts to ensure that our area homebound seniors have nutritious means and transportation to important appointments.

    Meals on Wheels sponsors various fundraising events including the Miles for Meals Fun Run 2022.  Participants can run – or walk – along 5K and 10K courses and have a good time as they get some exercise and socialize with friends new and old.

    Miles for Meals Fun Run 2020 early registration

    To be part of the April 2, 2022 event, just register and set up your own mini-fundraiser to collect money for the good work of Meals on Wheels.  Then all you have to do is come out to B52 Brewing in Conroe, Texas, on the day of the run and get moving!

    If you register any time through Jan. 15, 2022, you can save $10 off the registration fee.

    About Meals on Wheels

    Originally known as The Friendship Center and based in Conroe, the organization was founded in 1973.  It began small, but it grew quickly as more and more concerned residents of Montgomery County and other areas got involved.

    Today, Meals on Wheels delivers close to 300,000 meals and provides nearly 15,000 rides to area seniors in need.  All this is possible only through the financial and physical contributions that come from the organization’s many volunteers.

    We get back far more than we give in our association with Meals on Wheels.  Maybe it’s something you should look into if you have a little spare time and want to do something that definitely makes a difference.

    The TGB Team

  • Survey and Design Project for Chemical Company

    Survey and Design Project for Chemical Company

    Completion of the project expected in late 2021

    TGB Group had the privilege of providing survey and design for a future chemical company facility in Houston, Texas. The survey and design project consists of three separate portions:

    • Demolition
    • Site civil
    • Rail construction

    Survey and design project specs

    The demolition portion of the project began with a pre-construction meeting between TGB Group and the selected contractor on August 3, 2021.  Demolition began on August 7.

    Now that the demolition phase is complete, the contractor is working on the site/civil and rail portion of the project, which is expected to be completed in late November or early December 2021.

    The rail portion of this survey and design project consists of rehabilitating the existing turnout and the existing 1,100 feet of lead track as well as adding more than 1,700 feet of new track and a single new turnout.

    There will be a storage track for cars to be spotted on as well as an unloading track for the chemicals to be unloaded from the rail cars for the facility to use.

    About TGB Group

    Since its inception, TGB Group has been known as a go-to choice for a wide range of survey and design project management services.  With a specialty in the rail industry, we work throughout the state of Texas and the rest of the U.S.

    Learn more about our professional engineering services for your next project by contacting TGB President Mike Murphy at (866) 217-7794.

  • Engineering & Rail Design Project

    Engineering & Rail Design Project

    Project completion expected in January 2022

    TGB Group is working with Zinc Resources LLC on an engineering and rail design project to assist a future recycling facility located at the Port of Victoria, Texas.

    Zinc Resources hired us because of our documented expertise in rail design project engineering and management.

    Rail design project specs

    The lead track for this project ties into another project that TGB Group designed: the Port of Victoria North Rail Loop. This current project consists of:

    • More than 4,300 TF of track
    • Four turnouts that lead to two unloading tracks
    • Three storage tracks for the customers’ use in their recycling operations

    Upon completion of this rail design project, Zinc Resources will have a new state-of-the-art recycling facility that recycles dust from steel production and turns it into usable zinc and iron products.

    A very positive benefit will be the addition of 60 new jobs to the Victoria, Texas, area.  Zinc Resources has estimated that the facility will have an annual payroll of $2.5 million, which is great for everyone involved.

    Zinc Resources is investing $60 million in the building of this new facility.

    Construction commenced on August 16, 2021 and is expected to be completed by the middle of January 2022.

    About Zinc Resources

    The Zinc Resources team brings more than 100 combined years of professional experience in the recycling of zinc materials.  The company encourages innovation and empowers its employees to deliver exceptional products while making positive impacts on the local community and the environment.

    Learn more about Zinc Resources

    TGB Group is excited about this new venture and the chance to help our local Texas communities grow and thrive.  If you want to know more about the Zinc Resources rail engineering project or any of our civil engineering specialties, reach out to TGB President Mike Murphy at (866) 217-7794.

    The TGB Team

  • 2021 SWARS Fall Golf Event: We had Fun for a Good Cause

    2021 SWARS Fall Golf Event: We had Fun for a Good Cause

    TGB participated as a Beverage Cart Sponsor

    Once again, the SWARS Fall Golf Event & Scholarship Fundraiser was a great time to play some golf, win some prizes, re-connect with rail industry associates and most of all support the George Elking, Jr. Scholarship Fund.

    The tournament was held Sept. 29, 2021 at the Brookhaven County Club in Farmers Branch, Texas.  We love Brookhaven, which is made up of three awesome courses: the Master’s Course, the Championship Course and the President’s Course.

    The golf event is held annually, with proceeds from event fees going to benefit the Elking Scholarship Fund.  Well-known in the rail industry, George Elking, Jr. was president of the Southwest Association of Rail Shippers (SWARS) in 1995.  He went on to serve as president of the North American Association of Rail Shippers in 1998.

    We’re regulars at the SWARS Fall Golf Event

    swars fall golf event
    Our booth at the SWARS fall golf event

    This was the fifth consecutive year TGB Group has officially participated in the golf event.  Some of our employees have been attending special SWARS golfing events for more than 15 years.

    This year, we sponsored a beverage cart as a way to help raise needed funds for the scholarship.  But you can ask any of our team that attended, the enjoyment far outweighed the small participation and sponsorship fees.

    Friendly competition

    While none of us are “expert” golfers, we loved the competition that included contests for the longest drive, the straightest drive, the closest approach shot, the longest putt and the $10,000 hole-in-one challenge – which none of us won.

    For those of you who work in the rail industry, consider looking into attending a future SWARS Fall Golf Event.  You’ll have a great time and be helping out a good cause.

    Check out the Southwest Association of Rail Shippers website and learn about annual and semi-annual meetings, industry news and more.

    The TGB Team

  • Best of Spring 2021 Award – TGB Group a Recipient for 4th Consecutive Year

    Best of Spring 2021 Award – TGB Group a Recipient for 4th Consecutive Year

    This recognition further validates our mission of service and excellence

    The Spring Award Program has again honored TGB Group with a Best of Spring 2021 award in the “Civil Engineering and Consulting Company” category.

    Based in Spring, Texas, the Best of Spring 2021 award is presented to area businesses that have demonstrated outstanding success in marketing and service as well as those that have enhanced the positive image of small businesses in general.

    This is the fourth year in a row we’ve received this award, and we’re proud and humbled, to say the least. While we’re a civil engineering company and do all the work one would expect from this kind of business, we’re also a people business. This is what has brought us our success over the years.

    The entire TGB team believes that excellence isn’t some “far-off” goal, but rather something we aspire to every day in our hands-on work as well as our relationships with clients and members of our staff.

    In selecting award recipients, the Spring Award Program collects a lot of information, including data provided by third parties, to use in its analysis. The Best of Spring 2021 award was given based on quality, not quantity (i.e., scope/revenue of the business), according to an official press release.

    What the Best of Spring 2021 award means to us

    Receiving this award for the fourth year means one important thing: we’re doing something right. Actually, it means we’re doing many things right. The award is validation of the time and effort our team has put into marketing practices and the clear targets we’ve set for outstanding service coupled with outstanding work.

    About the Spring Award Program

    Best of Spring awards are given annually to local businesses in the Spring, Texas, area. The Spring Award Program works closely with business owners, trade groups, professional associations and advertising and marketing groups.

    The program’s mission is to recognize the many positive contributions that small businesses make to the U.S. economy.

    The TGB Group team would like to extend congratulations to all the area businesses that received a Best of Spring 2021 award.

  • SWARS Golfing Fundraiser in March in San Antonio

    SWARS Golfing Fundraiser in March in San Antonio

    We’ve been part of this exciting event for 15 years

    Once again, members of the TGB Group team were excited to participate in the SWARS golfing fundraiser and tournament held March 10 at the J.W. Marriott Resort in San Antonio, Texas.

    The tournament took place on two separate TPC courses: the Oaks and the Canyons.  One of the great things about golf in general and the SWARS golfing fundraiser in particular is the beauty of the courses and the enjoyment and peace you feel when you’re out there – no matter how well you can play.

    On the Oaks course, it was individual play by each golfer; on the Canyons course, it was a 4-person scramble.  Several different holes on the Canyons course had various competitions such as the longest drive, straightest drive, closest approach, longest putt, etc.

    TGB Group was proud to sponsor hole #1 on the Canyons course, which was the straightest-drive contest.

    Golfing fundraiser proceeds

    While we’re all out there having fun, we keep in mind that the proceeds from each SWARS golfing fundraiser go to benefit an important cause.  The last few events have benefitted the George Elking Jr. Scholarship Fund.

    George Elking Jr. was SWARS president in 1995.  In 1998, he served as president of the North American Association of Rail Shippers in 1998.

    Everyone at TGB Group believes strongly in education, and we’re always ready to support events that give educational opportunities to deserving people.  We’ve been involved with the SWARS golfing fundraiser for 15 years and started sponsoring holes in the tournament in 2016.

    In all, about 200 golfers from rail-industry companies take part in the SWARS golfing events.  There’s a feeling of unity and brotherhood as we go out there and make every attempt to hit the golf ball in the direction we want it to go.  We’re just a fun bunch of professionals – at railroad services, not golf.

    Learn more about the Southwest Association of Rail Shippers (SWARS).

    The TGB Team

  • Children’s Fundraising Event in New Braunfels, Texas, Made a Difference

    Children’s Fundraising Event in New Braunfels, Texas, Made a Difference

    TGB Had a Great Time Helping Raise Money Abused & Neglected Children

    Some of us at TGB Group had a great time recently participating in a children’s fundraising event held at the Bandit Golf Club in New Braunfels, Texas on April 12, 2021.

    The proceeds from this very special event went to help Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA), also located in New Braunfels.

    This great organization works hard to advocate for abused and neglected children in the court system.  Their work involves recruiting, training and coordinating their many community volunteers.  Their vision statement is simple: “Every child has the right to a safe, nurturing, permanent home.”

    The children’s fundraising event at the Bandit Golf Club was just one of the ways CASA reaches out for assistance from the community to help children with real and present needs.

    What We Did at this Children’s Fundraising Event

    TGB Group at a children's fundraising event

    TGB Group believes strongly in making better lives for all children who are in precarious circumstances.  We also believe in having fun, and that’s exactly what we did at the special golfing event.

    It was the Second Double Schotts Golf Tournament, sponsored by Double Schotts Sports Bar & Grill in New Braunfels.  The establishment was founded by four friends who loved fun and sports and wanted to create a sports bar environment that focused heavily on those two things.

    For the tournament, TGB Group sponsored the 12th hole, which is a long, 425-yard par 4.  The format for the tourney was a four-person team scramble.

    Money was generated through various hole competitions with golfers competing for the longest drive, ball closest to the pin and the Tiger Drive.  There was also an exciting putting contest, raffle tickets and a lot of cool prizes.

    All this and more made it the perfect children’s fundraising event that everyone enjoyed and went home knowing that, whether they won any of the challenges or not, they met the most important challenge of all: helping disadvantaged children.

    The TGB Team

  • Rail Spur Project in Ridgeland, MS Will Be the First of Many

    Rail Spur Project in Ridgeland, MS Will Be the First of Many

    TGB team to provide survey, consulting & design services

    TGB Group recently launched the first of what we expect to be many projects in the great state of Mississippi.  We’ll be engaged in a variety of professional services as part of a rail spur project for Flowood Developers of Ridgeland, MS.

    Rail spur project specs

    The first phase of the rail spur project involves our team providing survey and design for about 1,500 feet of track that will be used by a tenant of Flowood to offload aggregates it will use in numerous construction projects in and around the region.

    When this phase is complete, future work will include expanding the track to accommodate projected volume increases beyond the first year.

    Our engineering and consulting team will design the rail spur project to meet Canadian National Railroad and American Railway Engineering & Maintenance of Way (AREMA) standards for track construction.  In addition, we will handle all submittals to the railroad in order to gain their approval – a process we oversee for many of our rail-industry clients.

    Strategic expansion

    We’re excited about launching this new project for Flowood in Mississippi.  It’s an important move for us as a company, as we gradually and intelligently expand our service areas to help more companies achieve outstanding results in their engineering, property development and construction management projects.

    We will continue to serve clients throughout Texas, where we’re headquartered, and Kansas, where we’ve served on a wide variety of civil engineering and design projects during the past years.  We will also continue to support the rail industry at events, conferences and fundraisers to help more and more professionals make the connections and gain the critical information they need to better serve their clients and associates.

    If you’d like to learn more about this rail spur project for Flowood Developers, or if you have a project you’d like to discuss, contact TGB President Mike Murphy at mike@thetgbgroup.com or 866-217-7794.

  • The AREMA Annual Conference: Learning & Networking Opportunities

    The AREMA Annual Conference: Learning & Networking Opportunities

    The perfect event for all rail industry professionals

    TGB Group representatives are looking forward to the upcoming AREMA Annual Conference to be held Sept. 26-29.  Every year, the American Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association (AREMA) puts on a great conference with many educational and networking opportunities.

    Presented in conjunction with Railway Interchange, the conference is designed as an opportunity for rail engineering professionals to expand their industry knowledge about the latest technologies and innovations.  TGB Group will join many others who seek key distinctions that will allow them to expand and grow their businesses or consultancies.

    AREMA Annual Conference presenters

    A variety of rail-industry experts are scheduled to speak and share important knowledge with attendees that will benefit them, no matter what sector of the industry they serve.

    Every year, those who participate in the AREMA Annual Conference get to hear about what’s trending, what’s coming up the pipeline and how we can use the information to further our expertise and make our companies more fluent and effective.

    Networking with other professionals

    The AREMA Annual Conference is the perfect time to reconnect with associates and make new connections that can bring positive mutual benefit.  Just these brief (or extended) conversations can give you a wealth of insight and ideas that you can bring back home and implement with your team.

    We attend as many industry conferences and events as possible throughout the year.  While our team of civil engineering experts are at the forefront of our niche in the industry, we believe there’s always room for improvement and growth.  The AREMA Annual Conference is a great and fun way to accomplish that.

    About AREMA

    The American Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association is a professional association for those who serve in many capacities in the rail and rail engineering industries.  AREMA focuses on education with many events throughout the year.

    The association creates and distributes recommended practices regarding communications, structures, tracks and signals in the rail industry.  AREMA currently has about 6,000 members.

    We’ll see you at the conference!

  • We Make Sure Our Rail Customers Stay on Track and on the Track

    We Make Sure Our Rail Customers Stay on Track and on the Track

    Some of the services our civil engineering team provides to the rail industry

    Railroad customers and the railroads that serve them have important jobs to do and regular projects to manage.  Success for these professionals often requires working with an experienced civil engineering team that knows what it takes to keep them on the track by keeping them on track.  The TGB team accomplishes this by meticulous time-management strategies and acute deadline-awareness.

    We’re a full-service civil engineering and consulting firm focused on site-development projects for the transportation industry, primarily rail transportation.

    Clients trust us to understand what is needed to bring their important projects to a successful completion.  And they expect our civil engineering team to deliver services in a timely manner, because a lot of people and project elements depend on everything getting done right and on time.

    Design & engineering responsibilities

    Our work involves the planning, design and oversight of projects for a group of clients that include Class I and short line railroads, industrial outfits, city and county governments and economic development organizations.  That’s the “hands-on” part of our work.

    The “eyes-on” part of our work is just as critical.  While developing conceptual designs and construction documentation and working through drainage issues is important, so is making sure that and all other processes are performed in the time frame our clients are expecting.  This means our own work and that of the teams and facets we manage during a project.

    We place a high priority on getting projects done before deadlines.  By delivering consistently in this area, our civil engineering team keeps our rail-associated customers’ projects on track so the customers can stay on the track and keep their businesses rolling forward in the right direction.

    If you need a team that’s on your side from before the project starts until after it’s finished, contact TGB Group President Mike Murphy at (866) 217-7794.