Many major Austin landmarks - both old and new - owe their existance to the Wattinger Group, a family of companies that, over the years, has completed more than 400 projects, ranging from the original Travis County Courthouse to the multimillion-dollar, high-tech facilities.

The wattinger family began building in Central Texas in 1886, when Jacob Wattinger, a stone-mason by trade from Switzerland, started a general construction business. "Jacob was the founder of the companies," says Vernon Wattinger, Jacob's great-grandson and chairman of the Wattinger Group of Companies.

Included among Wattinger's projects are schools, universities, hostpitals, health care facilities, high-tech office/manufacturing facilities, state institutional work, commercial buildings, and retail centers. The group focuses primarily on the Austin and Central Texas area, usually staying within a 100-mile radius of Austin


All in the Family
The family tradition has carried on, and the Wattinger Group is now being run by fourth- and fifth- generation family members. The various Wattinger companies include VRW Construction; Wattinger Company, Inc.; Wattinger Management Company; and Wattinger Service Company, Inc. VRW Construction, which began its general construction process as Austin Rio Construction Co in 1975, today offers construction management, general contracting, and design/build services for selected projects. Started in 1929, Wattinger Company, Inc. is a mechanical contractor handling major projects for such clients as Austin American Statesman, Advanced Micro Devices, Motorola, Samsung Electronics, Texas Instruments, and 3M, as well as underground utility work.

Vernon, president of Wattinger Company, stresses the firm's expansion into new piping and duct work technology in the past 10 years, as well as its cababilities in HVAC and plumbing, including sheet metal and pipe fabrication shops. Wattinger Service Company was started in 1980, and is today one of the leading commercial air-conditioning and heating service companies in Austin. Working together as a group of companies provides a system of checks and balances in cost control and efficiency in the construction of every project. "We not only have the oldest construction company in Austin, but we have one of the most complete," says Vernon. "We have done-and can do- every aspect of the business."


Central Texas Landmarks
The Wattinger Group has enjoyed long relationships with many of its clients-so long, in fact, that is has received the contracts to remodel buildings originally constructed by prior generations of Wattingers. The group has collectively built 21 buildings at the University of Texas, including the Drama Building, Roberts Hall, Andrews Hall, Biological Laboratories, Education Annex, and University Teaching Center. The 1978 acquisition of B.L. McGee Construction Company, which had also constructed many campus buildings, cemented the Wattingers' alliance with the university.

Other education landmarks constructed by the group are the administration building at Sul Ross State university in Alpine, Texas; numerous projects for Austin, Georgetown, Rockdale, Bastrop, and San Marcos school districts; and Austin's original city library (now the Austin History Center). Since 1980, VRW has handled much of the construction at St. Edward's University, including restoration of the Old Main Building in 1986 and construction of the Ragsdale Campus Center and the Recreation and Convocation Center. At Southwestern University in Georgetown, VRW is responsible for the Fine Arts Theatre Building, McCombs Campus Center, Brown Cody Residence Hall, F.W. Olin Building, Recreational Activities Center, and Fondren Jones Science Building Addition,

Among Wattinger's health care projects are the Kerrville VA Hospital, Seton Northwest Ambulatory Healthcare Center, and the expansions at St. Davids Community Hospital, which consist of a three-building complex; Rehabilitation, Surgical, and Psychiatric hospitals. High-tech companies have also found the Wattinger Group; VRW/Austin Rio has constructed several major high-tech complexes, including the new Intermedica Orthopedics, Inc. headquarters.


Built on Relationships
The Wattinger Group is extremely proud of the diverse nature of its projects, which range in size from $1 million to $30 million. The firm has a substantial impact on the local economy, thanks to the 50 to 60 direct subcontractors and suppliers that must be hired for each project, and its approximately 200 full-time employees. Quality and safety are key concerns on every job, and the company has won numerous outstanding building construction awards and local/national safety awards

The Wattingers are big believers in repeat business, as evidenced by their long-term relationships with many clients, subcontractors, architects, and engineers. According to Vernon's son, Trey Wattinger, president of VRW Construction Company, "We work as a team and perform 110 percent on every project we have. By working with our own forces, we can offer hands-on management from top to bottom." Building relationships with customers and business associates comes easy to the Wattinger Group. It is an active member of Associated General Contractors (Trey is a past president), Greater Austin Chamber of Comerce, and Mechanical Contractors Association of Texas, and is involved with the Construction Specifications Institute, Associated Building Contractors, and American Institute of Architects. The firm also contributes to numerous charitable and civic causes. The Wattinger Group will continue to leave its mark on Austin and Central Texas for many more years to come. Future Generations of company leadership are sure to build on the Wattinger tradition of quality and service, adhering to one of the fundemental principles of the company: not to be the biggest in town, but rather the best.


reprinted from Austin: Celebrating the Lone Star Millennium, Copyright © 1999 by Towery Publishing, Inc.