EDUCATION • GOVERNMENT • HEALTHCARE/MEDICAL HOSPITALITY • MULTI FAMILY • PROFESSIONAL SPACES RELIGIOUS FACILITIES • RETAIL • TRANSPORTATION • AND MORE! Trusted Partner for Flooring Solutions in Texas Since 1974 Over 50 Years of Excellence (281) 598-6001 | 5510 Brittmoore Rd., Houston, TX 77041 | www.mekfloors.com 26CornerstoneSpring2026 agchouston.org over the company’s Houston office right before COVID began. But the biggest jobsite shift wasn’t about hygiene — it was about planning. During the pandemic, contractors had to limit how many people could work in the same space. That forced tighter scheduling, better coordination with trade partners, improved understanding of the flow of the job and more disciplined mate- rial pre-staging. “Jobs ran better,” said Phil Nevlud. “We were more productive, and it showed on our bottom line. We learned how to plan and schedule in a more granular way.” Tony Gonzalez, partner and vice president of The Gonzalez Group, saw the same trend. “While staggered shifts are less common today, contractors are still more intentional about how trades overlap,” he said. There was also a greater emphasis on communication and coordi- nation, so daily huddles, three-week loo- kaheads and tighter scheduling became more disciplined. Once the COVID concerns had waned over time and the related rules went away, though, teams quietly slipped back into the old way of doing things. With pressure to produce, focus shifted back toward short-term effectiveness instead of long- term efficiency. “Before, it was just ‘get the job done,’ but COVID made us work with the contractors and trade partners more intentionally to protect our essential status, and that turned profitable,” added Phil Nevlud. “Now, a lot of us are back to our pre-COVID ways of working on top of each other, and that’s not good for anyone.” Another pain point that was highlighted during the pandemic was redundancy or inadequacy in labor. At the start of a bull- ish 2020, MAREK had a lot of projects on its books and more than 1,000 people in its workforce, but by the end of the year, approximately 650 people remained. A lot of that shift had to do with proj- ects being put on hold, as no one knew how long the instability would last and what the long-term effects would be. But it also had to do with strategic decisions being made about the workforce itself. “Unlike what we had done in the past, we evaluated performance in a much dif- ferent way to reward those committed to getting work done,” Phil Nevlud said. Workers were vetted more carefully, and the workforce was streamlined to be more proficient, productive and efficient overall. “We also uncovered workers’ individual strengths and weaknesses to see where we needed to invest in training to improve everyone overall.” Gonzalez agrees, adding that “Labor availability was less predictable during the pandemic, and that forced con- tractors to become more proactive in manpower planning.” Changes in Technology The effects of COVID were felt digitally, too, as social distancing mandates facil- itated the rapid implementation of new technology. Paper and pencil planning quickly pivoted to adoption of intelligent electronics, especially for project manage- ment, and the big bonus was the speed at which things were able to get done. Platforms like Procore and Autodesk were already available in 2019, but many contractors used them sparingly. In the midst of the pandemic, they became mission-critical. Remote inspections and virtual walkthroughs, once seen as tem- porary solutions, became part of almost every project. “Digital check-ins, virtual owner meet- ings and remote coordination became standard,” Gonzalez affirmed. Now, owners expect real-time updates, cloud- based plan sharing and digital documen- tation. “That said, construction remains a relationship-driven industry. Technology enhances coordination, but it doesn’t replace experienced field leadership.” At MAREK, helmet-mounted cameras and time-stamped photo documentation were tools for billing, claims and quality control. “We could prove exactly what was done and when to validate for billing pur- poses and percenting a job,” Phil Nevlud said. “That protects everyone.” Remote inspections and virtual walk- throughs also stuck. What began as a way to keep inspectors off jobsites now saves time and travel for everyone involved. Even office culture shifted due to the new digital dynamics: estimators, project managers and accounting staff proved they could work remotely. They enjoyed a more holistic work/life balance, and many new hires still expect that hybrid model even five years post-pandemic. Materials Planning and Prefabrication Due to the massive, global shutdowns that were a side effect of COVID, supply chains suffered. Production ground to a halt, and lead times skyrocketed for criti- cal components and must-have materials. The construction industry was forced to elevate its discipline, and Houston’s
