A safety education lab in Francis Hall, future home of Texas A&M’s Department of Construction Science, will be built with a $150,000 contribution from Marek Brothers Systems, Inc., a Houston-based builder.

The gift is a major contribution to the $8 million renovation of the historic building, scheduled for completion in fall 2014. The donation to the building’s renovation campaign will be combined with funding from the university.

Stan Marek, a 1969 graduate of Texas A&M and chief executive officer of Marek Brothers Systems, signed the gift agreement, one of several major contributions from MBS to construction education programs at Texas A&M.

“I’m very excited that the Department of Construction Science finally has its own home,” said Marek. “The graduates that join our industry members are second to none and the quality just keeps getting better. We at the Marek Companies place great value in the people of our industry and our Aggie leaders will continue that tradition.”

At the Marek Brothers Systems Inc. Safety Lab, construction science students will receive hands-on safety training with equipment including respirators and cardio-pulmonary resuscitation training aids.

“Students completing their initial safety training in the lab will earn their Occupational Safety and Health Administration 10-hour certification prior to reporting for their required professional internship,” said Horlen.

The lab will also support advanced safety training leading to OSHA’s 30-hour certification.

“I appreciate the many ways in which Stan Marek and his outstanding team of construction professionals, many of whom are graduates of the program, contribute their personal efforts and financial resources to make Texas A&M’s construction education programs among the best in the nation,” said Joe Horlen, head of the Department of Construction Science.

Marek Brothers Systems, Inc. was a founding member of the department’s Construction Industry Advisory Council in 1999. Stan Marek was CIAC president in 2003 and 2004, and has also served on its executive board and key committees.

Marek has remained active in CIAC and served as a guest speaker at student organization meetings and the construction science capstone class lecture series.  Mike Holland, MBS division president, has also supported the construction science department as a guest speaker on workforce development and his work with the Houston area Construction Career Collaborative.

The Marek Family of Companies Endowed Scholarship in Construction Science was established in 2000 as one of the department’s first endowed matching scholarships.  Additional donations have been made to the scholarship in ensuing years, enabling the department to award three individual scholarships in 2012 totaling $11,500.

MBS, with offices in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Harlingen, Dallas, Fort Worth, Oklahoma City and Atlanta, is a consistent provider of professional internships for construction science students each semester.  MBS hires graduates as full time employees each year at Department of Construction Science career fairs.

For more information about the Francis Hall campaign contact Larry Zuber, assistant vice president for development, Texas A&M Foundation, at [email protected] or 979.845.0939, or Joe Horlen, department head, Construction Science Department, at [email protected] or 979-458-3477.