President

Barry Wurzel brings 28 years in construction management to Wurzel Builders. An experienced general contractor, Barry keeps abreast of every construction project managed by Wurzel Builders with an open communication style and hands-on approach.

Barry’s had a passion for building since high school. He started building houses when he was just 16 years old, holding various summer jobs in the construction industry.

He landed his first fulltime job as a project manager with Mervyns in 1983, which was later rebranded the Target Corporation. His commitment to quality construction and thorough project management earned him greater responsibilities and larger projects over the twelve years he worked with Mervyns in California. Projects included new store construction, remodels, takeovers and renovations, as well as corporate main office building additions and facility maintenance.

Barry came to Texas in 1995 to pursue his masters degree at Texas A&M University. He holds a Master of Science in Construction Management from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor degree in Management from St. Mary’s College.

After obtaining his M.S. in Construction Management, he worked as a project manager with CF Jordan for two years before leaving to form his own company. Wurzel Construction was formed in 1998 and later branded Wurzel Builders.

In addition, Barry is a Board Member of the Associated Builders and Contractors in Central Texas and serves on the City of Austin Legislation Committee of the Real Estate Council of Austin

Barry gives back to his community through mission work and volunteer activities in the youth group at his church and the Kealing Middle School mentoring program.  He has served as cub scout assistant den leader and currently mentors Eagle Scouts in the Boy Scouts of America, participating in many Capital Area Council activities.

In addition to Wurzel Builders, Barry formed 1st Plumbing Services and 1st Water Harvesting to service residential and commercial plumbing needs and promote water conservation in Texas. 1st Water Harvesting is a member of the American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association.

Estimating

Charlie brings passion and extensive experience in the construction industry to Wurzel Builders. He joined Wurzel Builders in 2000 after working as a project manager, superintendent and estimator for over three decades in the retail, tenant finish, office-warehouse and manufacturing sectors.

Charlie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Construction from Texas A&M University, and served for six years as a pilot in the US Air Force. He returned to graduate school, after his military service, at Texas A&M University to acquire his Master of Science in Building Construction.

He began his career in the construction business as an estimator with Pickens Bond Construction in Little Rock, Arkansas coordinating quantity surveys and pricing for earthwork, concrete, masonry, structural steel erection, carpentry and soliciting subcontractors and vendors for retail and manufacturing projects. Charlie estimated five to six new Dillard’s Department Stores per year across six different states, as well as working on other projects for the company.

During his time at Pickens Bond, Charlie also worked for another client, American Greetings, planning and estimating manufacturing plants in, Arkansas and Tennessee, including a million square foot warehouse and printing facility in Greenville, TN.

Charlie returned to Texas as project manager with Tribble & Stephens to manage retail, office warehouse and tenant finish projects, working with Kroger Grocery Stores, Target Corporation, Trammel Crow and Montgomery Ward. Next, he joined McCarthy Co., a national construction company based in St. Louis, Missouri, as project manager to complete a project for Valley Baptist Hospital in Harlingen, Texas.

In 1987, he supervised the Corp of Engineers Aircraft Parking and Underground Fueling Facility at Kelly Air Force Base for Jordan & Nobles Construction before joining 4M Construction Services to supervise building of the main entrance and commercial plazas at Sea World of Texas.

Charlie’s extensive experience and ability to conceptualize buildings in 3D when viewing 2D architectural drawings, enables him to estimate projects accurately. At Edward J DeBartolo Corp in Youngstown, Ohio, he led a team of estimators and performed conceptual estimates for large retail mall projects across the country.

Charlie then worked as an estimator with Scott Felder Homes in San Antonio before joining Teal Construction, a Houston based company specializing in auto dealerships where he worked as a project manager and estimator, working on Lexus of Austin, John Roberts BMW, Maxwell Ford, and Gillman Mitsubishi in Austin.

Charlie met Barry Wurzel in late 1999 while working with a Alpha Omega Construction, a concrete subcontractor, and joined the company in January of 2000. He supervises the estimating department at Wurzel Builders.

Office Manager / Accounting

Karen Seitz joined Wurzel Builders in 1999, just one year after the company was formed. She is responsible for accounting services, contracts, and managing the office staff.

Karen works closely with the management team to develop customized contracts for every construction job and ensure the insurance requirements of each project are met. In addition to managing the office staff, she provides administrative support, developing office procedures to increase efficiency and maintain proper accounting records.

Prior to joining Wurzel, Karen and her husband, Tom, ran a successful carpet cleaning business. They launched the first Chem-Dry franchise in San Antonio. Karen was responsible for training and managing a team of Chem-Dry professional technicians along with all accounting services. She established the accounting system and provided bookkeeping for the thriving business for four years before she and Tom sold the business to start a family.

In addition to providing accounting services for Wurzel Builders, Karen manages the accounting services and bookkeeping for Wurzel’s sister companies, 1st Plumbing Services and 1st Water Harvesting, handling payroll, payables, receivables as well as contracts.

Operations Manager, Facility Maintenance Division

Arkansas Office

In February of 2009 Ken joined Wurzel Builders to launch the Facility Maintenance Division and open the Wurzel Arkansas office.  He is responsible for a team of technicians who provide construction services to commercial clients throughout the southern region of the US.

Ken began his career working on commercial properties with Westwall Construction when he was 19 in Riverside, CA after completing an apprenticeship in plumbing.  In 1992, he moved to Joplin, Missouri and worked with E & K of Tulsa, premier specialty contractors with offices throughout the Midwest and Southwest.

Next, he moved to Bentonville, Arkansas to work with Builtwell Construction.  He was promoted to Foreman there before joining Walmart in 1996.  Ken travelled extensively for the next 12 years as a Construction Manager on remodeling jobs and special construction projects, working in all 50 states.  His demanding travel schedule included weekly trips to Hawaii one year.

During his time at Walmart, he contracted Wurzel Builders to renovate several stores from El Paso to Seattle.  In 2009 he made the transition to Wurzel Builders so he could spend more time with his family and less time on the road.

The Facility Maintenance Division has experienced rapid growth over the past two years, more than doubling the projects completed in its second year.  The Facility Maintenance team includes a master plumber and technicians with specialized construction skills.

In addition to providing on-going facility maintenance services to Walmart, the division has expanded to service additional retail stores, educational institutions, the financial industry and property management companies.