Teal Construction Company

Built upon expertise, integrity and consistency, Teal Construction Company has become one of the most successful commercial and industrial general contractors in the southern United States. Founded in 1947 by John Murray Sr., Teal Construction is headquartered in Houston, with a satellite office in Corpus Christi, Texas.

With more than six decades of experience, Teal Construction has established itself as a leader in all facets of construction. Beginning as a design-build general contracting firm, the company has shifted into all delivery methods and works with a variety of clients. The team of 60 full-time employees at Teal Construction maintains a broad range of skills, which allows the company to retain clientele over the years while strengthening the company’s ability to reach out to different clients and solidify bids.

Building relationships

In the commercial sector, Teal Construction works with both owners and developers. “We work with health care facilities, educational institutes, auto dealers and municipal centers,” says Jennifer King, marketing director and pre-construction manager for Teal Construction. “For instance, if it’s a public project we will typically work with the owner. If it’s an auto dealership there are times we work with an automotive group so we will work with the owner’s project manager.”

With certifications in eight different states, the company works all across the southern United States, often traveling to other states upon a client’s request. “We usually have 20-30 projects going at one time as large as $20 million,” says King. “We will also do maintenance contracts with past owners through our Special Projects Division”

As a general contractor, Teal Construction has established a solid network of subcontractors and suppliers. They subcontract out the majority of their work ranging from gypsum wall board to electrical. “I would say probably five years ago it was difficult to find the right partners due to the recession,” recalls King. “We now have a set of vendors and subcontractors that we work with regularly. One of the hardest things in this business is teaming with quality contractors and we have so much work right now that they can pick and choose who they work with. We want our subcontractors to feel like they are a part of our family and we do multiple things to continue our relationships.”

A strong portfolio

Teal Construction is the preferred contractor for Frost Bank. In 2012 the company completed an 8,560 square-foot branch in Houston. The construction of the project took place in an existing modern-designed high-rise structure with visibility from downtown Main Street. A rustic Texas design was incorporated into the interior build out of the facility. The unique features of this branch include the interior entry walls that are clad in wood veneer, extruded metal ceilings and dark granite accent stone over cased openings in natural limestone walls. Teal has completed over 85,000 square feet and $36 million worth of construction contracts in the past eight years.

Often working with the City of Houston, Teal Construction has completed a number of libraries that have been some of the first LEED projects in the city. Oak Forest Neighborhood Library, which was a renovation of an existing building, received a LEED Gold Certification. “One of the major items we focused on in this project was reuse,” King explains. “We salvaged the existing mosaic tile on the exterior of the building and reused it in the new exterior façade design.”

Another city project Teal Construction was involved in recently was the expansion of the Kendall Neighborhood Library and Community Center. The new construction of 19,000 square feet building included classrooms, meeting rooms and a gymnasium to meet the needs of the community. The library is also the first three-story neighborhood library in the Houston system and offers the first convenient drive-thru window. “One of the challenges of this job was the fact that the construction took place inside a park that remained open,” says King. “That created an opportunity for us to display our commitment to safety and teaming with the owner to ensure the safety of all patrons.”

Teal Construction is a member of the ABC Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA) State Safety Cooperative program. The company has also been a recipient of ABC’s Safety Training and Evaluation Process (STEP) award since 2008 and has reached platinum level every year since 2009.

Current LEED projects for the company include two Houston Community College academic buildings and a Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care (BARC) Adoption Center for the City of Houston. All three projects are slated for LEED Silver Certification.

As a member of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC), since 2005, Teal Construction has enjoyed numerous benefits including LEED certification courses and continuing education credits. “The USGBC has done a great job of marketing themselves and interacting with the industry,” says King. “One of the things that stands out in my mind is the way that they put their energy models online so people can see examples of how they can save money in the long term. A lot of people thought that green building was just a fad at first, but has proven its worth. There are a number of things that factor into it, the main one being happy employees who enjoy spending 12 hours of their day at work.”

New challenges

King, who has been with Teal Construction since August 2014, joined the company as project manager. “I had a background in marketing, so I took on that role as well,” says King. “I’m very happy to be here. Teal Construction is growing fast and that is exciting. We are doing projects in every market and continuing to gain long-term and repeat clients in the process.”

As the company continues to grow, Teal Construction is taking on larger projects and plans to increase its revenue by 10 percent in 2015. Teal Construction Company continues to set the standard in progress, safety, customer service and establishing relationships in the Houston construction industry.