Thursday, May 17, 2007

We're getting rocked...are we getting rolled?

Keep in mind that Associated Contractors is Benetech.

Dallas firm to tackle FQ, airport projects
By CityBusiness staff report

2007-05-17 9:11 AM CST

DALLAS — A $7-million French Quarter sidewalk project is one of three jobs Home Solutions of America Inc. will tackle in Louisiana. The company announced $19 million in projects Wednesday.

Home Solution's Louisiana workload includes $1 million in renovation work for Alexander Elementary and Grace King High School in Jefferson Parish and Westpark Elementary in Houma. It will also perform $1 million worth of concourse repairs at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Home Solutions Restoration of Louisiana, Inc., which does business as Associated Contractors, is a Louisiana-based commercial, industrial and residential contractor working in the governmental and private arenas. It has been one of the larger players in redeveloping public schools in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Its clients include the state of Louisiana, the city of New Orleans, the Louisiana National Guard, the historic French Market, Louis Armstrong International Airport and Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.


How confusing is that? A Dallas based firm, Home Solutions of America Inc., has a subdivision of it's company called Home Solutions Restoration of Louisiana, Inc. Then the article says that Home Solutions Restoration of Louisiana, Inc does business as Associated Contractors which according to the Benetech website was merged with Home Solutions Restoration of Louisiana, Inc.

Now let's go to the Home Solutions of America Inc. website and under the company profile I notice something of interest:

HSOA’s Rebuilding/Remodeling products and services currently consist of the production and installation of custom kitchen cabinets and countertops provided through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Southern Exposure Unlimited of Florida, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, SouthernStone Cabinets, Inc. and the installation of custom marble and granite countertops through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Cornerstone Marble & Granite, Inc. ("Cornerstone").

Why is that paragraph of interest? Well...Ray Nagin and his sons own a company called Stone Age Marble and Granite which does the exact same thing...where does Stone Age get their Granite and Marble?

So now Associated Contractors has a $7 million dollar "French Quarter sidewalk project". Which is what? Is it the Canal street sidewalk contract? I don't think so because I think Boh Bros. has that contract. And according to my sources this company, Cold Spring Granite, is the supplier of the granite for the Canal Street project per Boh...so I don't think there's a connection there.

But we can be assured that whatever this "French Quarter sidewalk project" is....Cornestone is undoubtedly supplying the granite for the project...unless they're stupid enough to funnel it through Stone Age.

I'm speculating out loud...or mabye I'm blogulating, whatever you want to call it.

The question is "Is there any connection between Stone Age and Cornerstone?" Any connection at all would constitute a conflict of interest on Nagin's part. I'm not saying there is...I'm just asking the question.

8 comments:

LAW70 said...

When you look under the "Subsidiaries" link for Home Solutions of America Inc., it clearly lists Nagin and sons business. This disturbs me.

Jason Brad Berry said...

Law,

No it doesn't. Cornerstone is not Nagin and sons business...stone age is their business.

bayoustjohndavid said...

Remember that story about upgrading the airport, starting with the restrooms, that appeared in the Sunday Monday section back in March? Wondered if they'd be stupid enough to try to funnel business through Stone Age, hell the mayor just reappointed his business partner (in his other business) and campaign manager to the aviation board. Now I'm really wondering.

second story if the link works.

mominem said...

Cold Spring Granite is one of the oldest quarries in the US.

Are you sure you aren't confused or leaving out a connection somewhere?

http://www.coldspringgranite.com/

Jason Brad Berry said...

Mominem,

I don't understand your point. All I stated about Cold Spring Granite was that they were the supplier of the Canal Street project via Boh Bros. I didn't imply they were connected to Nagin or HIoA....I even said at the end of the paragraph that I don't think there is any connection there.

Jason Brad Berry said...

BSJ,

Interesting. I was adding up the contracts Benetech and it's related companies have gotten from the city since the storm and I think it's well over 50 million....they range from restoration to IT. I haven't even noted that they currently hold the city IT contract which they got without a competitive bid. Apparently that contract has been re-bid and about 15 companies are now competing for it....but it doesn't explain how Benetech just took the contract over from Ciber.

Anonymous said...

NOW can we please examine those school rehab contracts? Alverez and Marcel, Associated Contracts. Please?

Anonymous said...

Hi. You’ve got a great blog. Cornerstone America offered to provide certain services and become secure financial. They charged me up front $250 and another $250 or so for licensing. The promises of cash flow within two weeks are totally a scam. I filed my complaints about the company wherever possible, in the first place on this great site www.pissedconsumer.com.