| ||
|
GUIDO AN INTEGRAL PART OF S.A.
Creighton A. Welch - Express-News – Whether you realize it or not, if you live in San Antonio, part of your life likely has involved a Guido Brothers Construction Co. project. In 81 years, the company has built and remodeled hundreds of projects around San Antonio, and the current leadership has played a role in a good number of those. The husband-and-wife team of Tom and Maryanne Guido, president and CEO, respectively, run a company that in recent years has had a hand in everything from SeaWorld to the Toyota plant to the University of Incarnate Word football stadium. Up next is the Rivercenter mall. “Craftsmanship is in the DNA of this family company,” said Doug McMurry, executive vice president of the San Antonio chapter of the Associated General Contractors. “I think of three things when I think of Guido: pride, integrity and craftsmanship. They apply it to every product they build, whether it's a church, museum or university project.” The company's work ethic is important to its success and longevity, Maryanne said. “We put a lot of ourselves into the buildings,” she said. “We're promoting a service, and we have to make sure there's integrity there.” The Guido name has been around San Antonio for several generations. Tom's great-grandfather came to San Antonio from the East Coast with his oldest son, Louis, who built the San Pedro Playhouse and remodeled Mission San José. Tom's dad and uncle — Cosmo and Louis Jr. — eventually joined the family business. Tom joined the family business 1972; he married Maryanne in 1974; and she came to work for the company in 1992. “What distinguishes them now is they're a family company with deep roots in San Antonio,” McMurry said. “In the past decade, we've seen a number of large out-of-town companies come to San Antonio to help build our city. It's good that we can welcome these companies to town, but it's important that we remember our family companies.” Tom cut his teeth soon after joining the company by transforming the former Lone Star Brewery into the San Antonio Museum of Art. “I really was a kid,” Tom said. “It was one of my first jobs, and it helped establish myself.” He doesn't own, live in or work at his projects, but to Tom, they're his. “I consider them my buildings,” he said. “There's a great sense of pride. It's part of (San Antonio's) history,” he said. Having a husband and wife run the company has gone almost without challenges. “It caused some uncertainty in the company because it's a little difficult having two bosses,” Tom said. “But they have the benefit of both worlds. We make it a point to keep our work at the office.” “We have a management team of which we're a part,” Maryanne said. “We complement each other.” Guido has just wrapped up a notable project and will start another soon. The 3,000-seat Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium at Incarnate Word was officially dedicated Sept. 1. On Oct. 1, Guido will begin an $8 million renovation at Rivercenter mall, freshening up the 1980s exterior and making way for new restaurants and retailers. “They're a great company,” said Tom True, assistant general manager of Rivercenter mall. “You get to deal with the owners; they're down to earth; they're always on time; and they do what they say they're going to do. It's just a good experience whenever you work with them.” True worked at SeaWorld when Guido did work there as well. Guido built the $5 million lazy river and the $9 million Journey to Atlantis. “They're really efficient and just a good company,” he said. “Some companies aren't as quick and neat and clean and easy to deal with as these guys are.” Part of the job is not only being conscious of the clients, but of surroundings and daily activities. “It's a complicated job because it's downtown and it's right on the river,” True said of the Rivercenter mall project. “They were real good about that at SeaWorld, too. We'd close areas off, but as far as noise and dust, they feel they're part of the community.”Other Guido projects include the H-E-B Science Treehouse at the Witte Museum, chapels at the University of Incarnate Word and Our Lady of the Lake University, the conservatory at the San Antonio Botanical Garden, San Fernando Cathedral, St. Mark's Episcopal Church and the Olmos Park roundabout. The company also helped with one of downtown's notable spectacles, moving the Fairmount Hotel in 1985 from where Rivercenter mall is to its current location on South Alamo Street. “Moving it took 19 minutes to cross the bridge,” Tom said. “So it's always fun to go back to Fairmount.” And Guido helped welcome Pope John Paul II to San Antonio in 1987 by building the stage for his open-air Mass. “They understand the things that make San Antonio, and they step forward and take the lead,” McMurry said. “They're just really talented people with big hearts and deep roots in San Antonio.” These prominent jobs aren't just good for the city, either. “We obviously love these sexy projects; they're fun, and the workers love them,” Maryanne said. © COPYRIGHT PROTECTED. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
|
