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Tag: Development

  • BBB Gold Star Certificate from Houston Better Business Bureau

    BBB Gold Star Certificate from Houston Better Business Bureau

    The BBB is one of the many ways we connect with our community

    TGB Group has received a 2020 BBB Gold Star Certificate from the Better Business Bureau of Greater Houston and South Texas.  We learned about this honor in April 2020.

    BBB membership is one of the many ways we stay connected with our community and is an opportunity for our community to stay connected with us.  There are Better Business Bureaus throughout the United States, and each one is in place to showcase businesses and companies in its area that perform to the highest ethical and professional standards.

    We’re proud to be recognized with the BBB Gold Star Certificate.  While our membership with the Houston BBB is just one of many memberships we hold, it’s important to us, because many consumers (including our future customers) consider it important that a company be in good standing with their local bureau.

    Along with the BBB Gold Star Certificate, we maintain an A+ rating with the Houston BBB and have received 5 stars on each of our customer reviews through the bureau.

    More important than a BBB Gold Star Certificate and other awards

    It’s always nice to be recognized by organizations and agencies for a job well done.  But at TGB Group, the most important recognition comes from our customers, the people we serve and help to grow and expand their operations.  Without satisfied customers on your side, you really don’t have a business.

    Since we launched our company three years ago, certain elements have been in place to guide us in all our work.  They include:

    • Integrity
    • Honesty
    • Hard work
    • Industry expertise
    • Clear communication
    • Customer-first approach
    • On-time delivery of services

    The way we see it, when the owners of a business set the standard for everyone in the company, when they hold employees – and themselves – to these standards, things just run more smoothly and client satisfaction is guaranteed to be high.

    If you’re interested in hiring the TGB team for your next engineering or design project, give us a call at (866) 217-7794 and tell us what you want to accomplish.

  • Importance of a Feasibility Study

    Importance of a Feasibility Study

    How TGB Group helps its clients by working through all the details of a civil design/engineering project

    Of all the parts and parcels of a civil design or engineering project, the feasibility study may be the most critical.  Like the old saying, “Failure to plan is planning to fail.”  A quality feasibility study early in the planning stages allows you to address the major concerns that will be involved in doing the project and operating with it afterwards.

    When the TGB Group team performs a feasibility study for our clients, we customize each area to our clients’ and the project’s specific needs.  General areas we cover include the following.

    Feasibility study components

    Market impact

    In the very earliest stages, company leaders must forecast the viability of a project in terms of how it will be accepted in the market and the impact it will have on competitors and sales.  A detailed feasibility study covering market impact projections is critical for every new project.

    Technical assessment

    Once we determine that the business idea is sound, we want to ensure that the civil and structural engineering aspects as well as design are capable of being executed in a way that supports the project throughout all its stages.

    Management

    We evaluate project management capabilities to confirm that the project will be overseen with the expertise necessary to make it successful.

    Financial feasibility study

    Paying for the many services required to complete a project is a paramount concern.  We want to investigate and determine that the client will be able to secure the necessary funding to see the project through to completion.

    Economic concerns

    The economic part of a feasibility study looks at the potential economic benefits and losses that could result if the project is developed and completed as planned.

    Cultural impact

    Part of a quality feasibility assessment is considering the impact of the project on the local community and culture.  Many problems can be alleviated by knowing what these impacts may be during the building phase and after the project is finished.

    Safety

    Safety assessments look at the wide range of possible environmental influences the project will create.  It’s important for our clients to see the “bigger picture” in this area so alterations to certain aspects of the project, if deemed necessary, can be made early.

    Permitting

    Every project requires a number of permits, licenses and approvals.  A feasibility study should determine which of these will be required, how they will be secured and who will be responsible for securing them.

    As noted, every feasibility study is unique, so the above elements are simply a general guide.  The bottom line is we want to make your project as smooth and predictable as possible from the earliest planning stages to the day you open for business.

  • 2020 TSLRRA Annual Meeting

    TSLRRA Annual Meeting in Dallas

    2020 TSLRRA Annual Meeting

    An opportunity to network and help support this important organization

    TGB Group was excited to attend and sponsor the TSLRRA Annual Meeting Jan. 23-25, 2020 at the Beeman Hotel in Dallas. We’ve been a member of the Texas Short Line & Regional Railroad Association for three years and have always considered it an important part of our professional lives.

    Among its many other activities, the TSLRRA provides us with vital details about current short line rail news on local and legislative levels.

    Why we attend the TSLRRA Annual Meeting

    It’s important for us to support an organization like TSLRRA as they continue their outreach to help smaller “mom and pop” railroads.  The annual meeting is one of the ways they do it, and every year the event includes the opportunity to network with others in the railroad industry and hear informative talks from leading speakers.

    This year’s TSLRRA Annual Meeting featured guest speaker Ed Emmett, a former Harris County Judge and Texas Department of Transportation Freight Advisory Committee member.

    Because of their smaller size, short line railroads often are overlooked, yet they’re quite important for the farms and factories that connect with large shipping concerns and exporters. Past TSLRRA Annual Meeting/luncheon events have provided us with information regarding heavy regulatory initiatives, which can stand in the way of economic growth and Austin short line tax credit.

    Short line associations are pushing Congress to make a tax credit permanent to help short lines improve infrastructure. modal equity and the benefits of membership through growth.

    About TSLRRA

    The Texas Short Line & Regional Railroad Association is a nonprofit professional organization representing the interests of the more than 40 short line railroads and industry related businesses in Texas.

    Established in 2003, TSLRRA’s purpose has been to promote the state’s economy, champion public safety issues and partner with local governments and organizations to enhance the transportation infrastructure and bring new jobs and prosperity to Texas communities. Learn more about the Texas Short Line & Regional Railroad Association.

  • Why Community Responsibility Is So Important | Doing Our Part

    Why Community Responsibility Is So Important | Doing Our Part

    Here are some of the ways we’re giving back

    From helping to feed the hungry to raising funds for St. Jude Children’s Hospital to supporting scholarship programs for deserving students, a big part of the TGB Group culture is acting with compassion to build support for many different causes in and around our community. We think of it as our community responsibility.

    Why we take community responsibility seriously

    Helping to making a difference in whatever ways we can is one of our missions. Because we care about our communities and the people who live in them, giving back is important to us. Here are some of our current areas of focus.

    Meals on Wheels, Montgomery County

    community responsibility with Meals on Wheels

    TGB Group donates funds to Montgomery County Meals on Wheels and is constructing Turkey Day treat bags for seniors. The programs operated through Meals on Wheels are vital to our older neighbors. A meal delivered by a friendly face means that seniors are not only getting the nutrition they need but a social visit they require to maintain a healthy balance in their lives.

    Harvesters Community Food Network

    community responsibility with Harversters

    Another part of our community responsibility is donating to the Harvesters Community Food Network, which provides kids in our area with healthy groceries.

    Montgomery County Association of Business Women Foundation (MCABW)

    Through donations, MCABW focuses on giving back to the community by awarding scholarships to high school seniors and supporting other local causes.

    Southwest Association of Rail Shippers (SWARS)

    TGB Group does a lot of work in the rail industry, so we make it a point to support the SWARS scholarship fund.

    St. Jude Children’s Hospital

    community responsibility with St. Jude

    An exciting part of fulfilling our community responsibility has been supporting the St. Jude Humana Rock N Roll Series fundraising event in San Antonio. It’s a 5K run happening on December 7, 2019 to raise money for pediatric cancer research.

    West Texas Food Bank

    community responsibility with West Texas Food Bank

    The final organization we support that we want to mention here is the West Texas Food Bank. This group is committed to serving the needs of children, families and seniors who struggle with hunger.

    All of us have the opportunity to give back a little – or a lot – to local and national causes that are important to us. It’s community responsibility that makes our world a better place.

  • TGB Group Again Named a Top 10 Railroad Engineering Services Company

    TGB Group Again Named a Top 10 Railroad Engineering Services Company

    Honor given for second consecutive year by Commtrex, managers of a leading rail services company directory

    Commtrex, creators of a popular online Rail Services Directory, has for the second year in a row named TGB Group as a top-10 railroad engineering services company.  The announcement was formally made in September 2019 on Commtrex.com.

    Our entire team is proud of this honor, because it tells us we’re doing things right and providing the quality railroad engineering services that help our clients meet and exceed their construction and expansion goals.

    This year’s Top 10 Railroad Engineering Services Company award went to leading engineering firms across the USA in places like Matthews, N.C., Brentwood, Tenn., Louisville, Ken., Greely, Colo., and Beaumont and Houston, Texas.

    We thought it was interesting that three Texas-based railroad engineering services companies made the list – the most from any state.  But it’s not surprising: Texans have always been known for doing jobs right.

    About Commtrex

    railroad engineering services company award 2018

    Commtrex is the only open online marketplace serving the U.S. and Canadian rail industries.  The company provides its extensive directory as well as a forum where rail cars can be bought, sold and leased.

    The Commtrex directory is a central place where project managers and business developers throughout the country can search for just the right railroad engineering services company for their project.

    Winning this award and being aligned with Commtrex will only be a step in the right direction for TGB Group as we continue to streamline our services and add to our expertise.  Our listing on Commtrex.com notes our affiliation with BNSF and Union Pacific railroads and our expertise in engineering track design, track construction services and track design services.  We consider that excellent publicity!

    We’re proud to be a railroad engineering services company right here in Texas

    As a Texas-based railroad engineering services company, we strive to bring positive benefits to all the neighboring communities where we work.  We believe that positive business dealings and exceptional results can help communities grow and prosper.  We’re committed to doing our part to serve the great state of Texas and other great states throughout the country.

  • TGB Group, LLC Receives 2019 Best of Spring Award

    TGB Group Awarded 2019 Best of Spring, TX

    TGB Group, LLC Receives 2019 Best of Spring Award

    We took top honors in the Civil Engineering and Consulting Company category

    best of spring award

    TGB Group, LLC has been selected to receive the 2019 Best of Spring Award in the “Civil Engineering and Consulting Company” category by the Spring Award Program.

    The award is set up to honor the achievements and accomplishments of local businesses throughout the Spring, Texas, area. The award recognizes companies that have shown the ability to use their best practices and implemented programs to generate competitive advantages and long-term value within a given market.

    Contributions recognized by Best of Spring Award

    The program was established to recognize the best of local businesses in the Spring community. The award organization works exclusively with local business owners, trade groups, professional associations and other business advertising and marketing groups. Their mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.

    Each year, the Spring Award Program identifies companies it believes have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and their community. These exceptional companies help make the Spring area a great place to live, work and play.

    Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2019 Spring Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners were determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Spring Award Program and data provided by third parties.

    All of us here at TGB Group are honored to receive this award. It really validates all the hard work we do to help our overall community and everyone who lives in it.

    It also validates our efforts within the local business community and our belief that true success is achievable only through a commitment to the highest level of customer service and integrity in all our dealings.

  • “Measure Twice, Cut Once”: A Critical Principle in Our Project Management Services

    “Measure Twice, Cut Once”: A Critical Principle in Our Project Management Services

    The importance of accurate measurement can’t be overemphasized

    One of TGB Group’s signature project management services is construction staking.  Accurate measurement in this discipline is the first step toward success, and the benefits of measuring twice and double-checking those measurements are huge.  Correctly staking a project layout is a crucial activity that when done right prevents countless construction delays and mistakes that often can’t be undone and likely will cause more time and money to be spent than what was allocated in the budget.

    Taking shortcuts to complete a project might seem tempting initially.  A faster work process, quicker completion of various project management services phases, an easier time doing the mundane groundwork – one might think all this will lead to saving money at the end of the day.  However, failure to double check a plan, its measurements and its requirements can be very costly.

    Quality project management services includes best-fixes, not quick-fixes

    Though we live in an age where impatience has become the norm and quick-fixes often take the place of best-fixes, TGB Group professionals are not in the practice of cutting corners and wasting valuable time and resources.  Your project is unique to your business and important to us, so we take the time to “measure twice, cut once,” as the wise old adage goes.

    We’re happy to spend time early in the project verifying results and laying the foundation for cost-effective success so we don’t have to waste time later re-calculating what should have been calculated correctly the first time.  Undoing something and then redoing it does not make for happy engineers.

    TGB Group’s highly skilled team provides exceptional consulting, design and project management services to our railroad, commercial, industrial and economic development clients.  We can execute any size project, from a simple parking lot to a thousand-acre or larger multi-use industrial park.  We design solutions to meet a project’s goals and constraints.

    With more than 70 years’ combined experience, we are focused on client satisfaction and dedicated to delivering high-quality products to our clients and yours.  When you work with us, you can be assured that impatience, shortcuts and mis-measuring will not wreak unexpected havoc with your budget!

    Site development/project management services

    For every phase of every project, we provide the professional project management services you need for an outstanding result:

    • Conceptual layouts
    • Master planning
    • Platting and zoning
    • Survey and design
    • Permitting assistance
    • Storm water management
    • Bid administration
    • Construction staking
    • Construction management

    To learn more about how our expert design and project management services will lead to better outcomes in your next project, please contact:

    Mike Murphy, president, TGB Group: (866) 217-7794

  • Jindal Saw USA hires TGB Group for design and rail-consulting services

    Jindal Saw USA hires TGB Group for design and rail-consulting services

    We’ll provide the design for 11,500+ feet of track and more for this major expansion project

    Jindal Saw USA has contracted with TGB Group for rail-consulting services and other professional services for a new pipe mill at Jindal Saw’s pipe manufacturing and pipe coating facility in Baytown, Texas.

    Expansion to the existing facility includes a new 300,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, new rail connections with Union Pacific Railroad at the north and south ends of the property, service roads, drainage and a new road crossing.

    Our design and rail-consulting services will include:

    • Design of over 11,500 feet of track that will include a new siding for the railroads to use
    • Drop and pull tracks for Union Pacific Railroad and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway
    • Loading and unloading tracks that will enter the new building
    • Drainage for the new rail
    • A new road crossing for access to an additional piece of the property on the other side of the railroad’s main line.

    When design work is completed and approved by the railroads, TGB will provide permitting assistance and construction oversight for the project.

    TGB started the rail-consulting project in late June 2019 and is already well on the way to completing the first phase of the Union Pacific Industrial Development process.

    Along with professional rail-consulting services, our team will provide preliminary conceptual designs and a proposed operating plan for the railroad’s review.  Upon approval of preliminary drawings, we will continue with the engineering design documents and additional review procedures with Union Pacific and Chambers County to gain final approval for construction of the track portion of the project.

    Construction of the project is expected to start in the middle of 2020 and last for about six months.

    To learn more about our rail-consulting services and other design work for the Jindal Saw rail project, please contact:

    Mike Murphy, president, TGB Group: (866) 217-7794

  • TGB Group Now Members of Local Better Business Bureau

    TGB Group Now Members of Local Better Business Bureau

    Membership doesn’t establish our reputation – it only confirms it

    The Better Business Bureau has been around for more than 100 years, and it has been a goal of ours to become a member of it.  Now we’ve reached that goal.

    Since we were founded in 2016, we’ve had a single goal every single day: to provide the highest quality of service to our clients with unquestioned integrity on every project we undertake.  We’re thrilled to be part of the BBB and to proudly display its logo, but we’re not looking to any outside organization to bolster our professional reputation – we’ll see to that ourselves.

    What it takes to be in the BBB

    Being a BBB member tells potential clients who know nothing about you that your business is credible and above-board in its dealings.  It’s kind of like a calling card that goes before you and can open many doors.

    Becoming a Better Business Bureau member requires meeting a list of requirements including:

    • Positive track record in doing business
    • Honesty in selling and advertising
    • Fair representation of products and services in the marketplace
    • Abiding by all written and verbal business agreements
    • Aggressive protection of its customers’ stored personal information and data

    Learn more about our local BBB – the Better Business Bureau of Greater Houston and South Texas.

  • Isomeric Industries, Inc. Selects TGB Group for Track Expansion Project

    Two of Big Spring Rail’s locomotives working in the new Tarmac Yard.

    Isomeric Industries, Inc. Selects TGB Group for Track Expansion Project

    Work started in December at McMahon Wrinkle Industrial Park in Big Spring, Texas

    TGB Group has been selected to design and build Isomeric’s track expansion project at the McMahon Wrinkle Industrial Park in Big Spring, Texas.  We began working with Isomeric to identify locations for a track expansion to support the growth in their business.  Our team provided consulting and conceptual design services to help determine the best location.  Isomeric then selected us to manage the entire process. 

    We’re providing survey, design, bidding services, construction management and on-site construction observation services for the project, which entered the design phase this month.  We expect construction of the track expansion project to be completed early in the second quarter of 2019.

    Track expansion project and other work in Big Spring

    TGB Group has been the civil engineer of choice for rail projects in Big Spring for many years.  We recently completed a large expansion for the Big Spring Railroad’s (BSR) Tarmac Yard and the design of Alor Trucking’s new transloading facility.  Several other rail expansion projects are slated for 2019 that will further expand the Big Spring Railroad’s ability to store railcars for customers as well as transload railcars for customers in need of these services.

    Big Spring Rail Systems, Inc. maintains and operates approximately six miles of rail line in Howard County, Texas, over trackage owned by the City of Big Spring.

    BSR was established in August 2012 as part of an economic development project by the Big Spring Economic Development Corporation.  It was created to initiate opportunities to transport and distribute product for customers, promoting the accessibility and utilization of existing rail service that was not previously possible.  BSR is headquartered in West Chester, Pa.  The firm interchanges traffic with Union Pacific railroad and is located just west of its Big Spring yard.

    Texas state and local officials have recognized the economic growth that coincides with improving transportation infrastructure.  These investments put a focus on transportation projects while benefiting the community and stimulating economic growth.  Big Spring has been referred to as the “crossroads of west Texas” due to it’s being the only city in the western portion of the state with access to interstate highways going north, south, east and west.  In addition to existing highways and an airpark, BSR is building on this with the inclusion of rail service.

    To learn more about this track expansion project, please contact:

    Mike Murphy, president, TGB Group: (832) 748-7603