Charitable Giving- the Willow Program

During this season of giving its only appropriate to remind everyone of the company's charitable giving program.  As a long time Oklahoma-­‐based company, CMSWillowbrook has a social responsibility to increase our positive community impact and use our resources to improve the health and wellness of the surrounding environment.  

CMSWillowbrook’s Charitable Donation program will allow employees to contribute to a charity or non-­‐profit organization of their choice through a combination of the two available match programs with a maximum of $500 per employee per year total. 

The plan outline is available on box/public add and read/employee handbook

or by the link below:

https://cmswillowbrook.box.com/s/seef7zpjjxnj1d0cfb4u

Architectural terms- "Frieze" or "Frieze Panel"

In architecture the frieze /ˈfriːz/ is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain or decorated. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon the architrave('main beam') and is capped by the moldings of the cornice. 

In interiors, the frieze of a room is the section of wall above the picture rail and under the crown moldings or cornice.  Frieze decorations may depict scenes in a sequence of discrete panels. The material of which the frieze  may be plasterwork, carved wood or other decorative medium.[1]

Architectural Terms- "Anchor Plate"

An anchor plate or wall washer is a large plate or washer connected to a tie rod or bolt. Anchor plates are used on exterior walls of masonry buildings, for structural reinforcement. Being visible, many anchor plates are made in a style that is decorative.[1]

One popular style is the star anchor—an anchor plate cast or wrought in the shape of a five-pointed star. Other names and styles of anchor plate include earthquake washer, triangular washer, S-iron, and T-head.[1] In the United Kingdom, pattress plate is the term for circular restraints,[2] tie barbeing an alternate term for rectangular restraints.

Anchor plates are made of cast iron, sometimes wrought iron or steel, and are often used on brick or other masonry-based buildings. They are easy to find in cities with substantial legacies of 18th- and 19th-century brick construction, such as New York, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Charleston, South Carolina, and in older earthquakeprone cities such as San Francisco, as well as earlier examples in Gamla Stan, the Old Town in Stockholm. The tie-rod-and-plate assembly braces the masonry wall against lateral bowing.

CMSWillowbrook Work Anniversaries & Birthdays for November 2014

November Work Anniversaries

Antonina Wilkerson, November 7: 9 Years

Ron Jones, November 10: 17 Years

Kody Krawtzow, November 26: 2 Years

Sam Johnson, November 28: 3 Years

November Birthdays

Larry Hudson, November 12

Keaton Bushyhead, November 13

James Buono, November 19

Jacky Myers, November 19

Troy York, November 25

Restoring Oklahoma's History

Oklahoma's most trusted builder. restoration expert. craftsmen. CMSWillowbrook

Old North- University of Central Oklahoma.  First college level educational structure completed in Oklahoma. c. 1892

There was a time when buildings weren't just assembled from various manufactured products as they are today.  Buildings were "crafted", by Craftsmen, not by just workers.  The differentiating factor between these two skilled workers may not be one of skill at all, but one of pride of ownership, resourcefulness, leadership, and vision.  

Through the years this has changed and construction has become a commodity.  Some of the respect that the master builder once had is gone.  Until.... a project comes along that still needs a master builder:  Someone who understands the details and cares to craft a particular result. One difficulty we face in our industry is that many of the Craftsmen don't exist anymore.  But that is where we come in.  We get hired over and over again to restore these beautiful buildings of the past because we ARE CRAFTSMEN! Building owners trust that our superintendents have the knowledge that were possessed by these Craftsmen of the past and can lead a group of any semi-skilled workers to produce pristine results.  Again this is likely not an issue of knowledge at all, but one of pride of ownership, resourcefulness, leadership and vision.

It is for these reasons why we continue to be Oklahoma's top historical restoration contractor.  CMSWillowbrook has been trusted with some of the state's most priceless structures, such as the Oklahoma State Capital, Old North at UCO, Old Central at OSU, Murray Hall at OSU, Edmon Lowe Library at OSU, the Judicial Center, the office of the Attorney General (Soloman Layton Power Plant), the Rock Island Train Depot, and the Federal Building in Chickasha.

Murray Hall Women's Dorm at Oklahoma State University. under construction c. 1932

Office of the Attorney General after Renovation

Federal Building in Chickasha, Okla.

Oklahoma State Judicial Center- Office of the Supreme Court

Old Central- the first building built at Oklahoma State University in Oklahoma Territory c. 1894  Completely restored by CMSWillowbrook in 2007

Rock Island Train Depot in Chickasha, Okla. while under restoration by CMSWillowbrook.

Edmon Lowe Library at Oklahoma State University.  Built in the 1950's.  CMSWillowbrook will begin scaffolding the bell tower in the spring of 2015 for a complete restoration of the exterior of the tower in the heart of campus.