Blue Heron Designs, Inc. was founded in 1973 in Austin, Texas by Randy Rodgers. Blue Heron Designs (BHD) is an interior and exterior landscape design and installation firm. The associated architectural concrete company is Specialty Concrete. Today it has offices in San Antonio, Texas at 11805 Old Perrin Beitel Road. The principal in the company is Randy Rodgers, President.

After three years in Austin, Rodgers moved the firm to Midland Texas. It began to grow and expand operations and services to develop the company as a complete design/build firm.

In 1978, Randy Rodgers formed a partnership and purchased a franchise, for the West Texas area, for coloring and texturing concrete. This process proved to be a great asset to the design capabilities of BHD. Streets, walkways and patios were installed along with beautiful hardscapes.

In 1983, BHD began to seek job prospects away from the West Texas area. BHD began to complete jobs (large commercial and residential) around the State. The Crockett Hotel in San Antonio was installed and many jobs in Denton, Dallas, the Texas Hill Country and several design/build projects in East Texas. Decorative concrete paving became a standard for use on many of the projects.

In December 1984, the decision was finalized to move several employees to San Antonio and to open a more centrally located office for Texas. The offices were opened at the Los Patios complex at 2015 Northeast Loop 410 in San Antonio.

In March 1986, the Midland offices and most of the remaining employees were consolidated in San Antonio. Because of the larger market demand in Central Texas and the desire for a higher profile, BHD found a place in the design/build market with a very large residential project that spanned two years.

We believed that the concept of design/build in the landscape business was the trend of the future and that additional services for general contracting relating to the exterior contract business offered many more opportunities for this firm.

In 1986, BHD's landscape plan for a City Park in Midland was awarded the coveted Governor's Design Award, allowing the City to receive State funding to build the project. BHD was the successful bidder and installed the park for the State of Texas.

In 1988, BHD completed the two year residential landscape design/build project in Seguin, Texas. In a Citywide competition, this project was chosen as the "Best Residential Landscape Design and Installation" for 1988 by San Antonio Homes and Gardens magazine.

Rodgers purchased the property at 11805 Old Perrin Beitel Road, San Antonio. In March 1989 this location became the current offices of BHD and Specialty Concrete.

A special goal was realized when our Concrete division was nominated in the spring of 1989 for the "Craftsmanship of the Year Award" for 1988 by the Construction and Specification Institute for our textured concrete installation at the Southwestern Bell Headquarters at Hildebrand and Broadway in San Antonio.

In February, 1990, with the goal of developing our own concrete imprinting tools, our firm severed our last franchise agreement and formed a new company, Specialty Concrete. Specialty Concrete continues to install high quality colored and textured concrete projects for residential and commercial markets. We now work with clients on a national and international basis.

We have worked as consultants and completed installation projects in Mexico, Spain and France. Specialty Concrete has a broad range of innovative new concrete imprinting tools which are continually being developed.

Randy Rodgers was contracted to renovate Los Patios, a restaurant, retail shops, and garden center facility in 1990 and to head up a new landscape/retail garden center concept. Specialty Concrete remained independent during this move. Rodgers terminated the agreement with Los Patios in March 1991 and returned to the Specialty Concrete/Blue Heron Designs businesses.

Rodgers was the winner of the 1990 San Antonio Builder's Parade of Homes Site Design Award and the Landscape Design/Installation Award. The residential landscape project was installed in the spring of 1990 at the Woods of Deerfield subdivision and it featured Specialty Concrete, a natural swimming pool with waterfall and lush tropical plantings.

After several years of work with engineering and landscape departments at the Texas Department of Transportation, Specialty Concrete was awarded five projects for highway improvement and beautification through General Contractors. Projects in Brownsville, Laredo, Palestine and Odessa were installed. Large projects in Mexico and Corpus Christi were installed during this time giving Statewide and International recognition to the fourteen year old concrete business.

In 1992, Specialty Concrete was called upon to create a unique tooling system for the exterior pool area at the new Hyatt Regency Hill Country in San Antonio. Frio River Stone was developed for this project.

HEB Grocery outlined goals for a unique floor for the interior of the new HEB Marketplace concept and Specialty Concrete developed and installed six stores for them in Texas and Monterrey, Mexico.

Over 250,000 square feet of colored/textured concrete floors were installed throughout the southeast for Bruno's Foodmax over a two year period.
In 1995, Specialty concrete was selected as the chosen contractor for the installation of the colored/textured concrete paving for the first phase of the Columbus Fleet Museum project in Corpus Christi, Texas.

In 1996, Rodgers and the BHD, Inc. team were chosen to create and complete a master landscape plan for The Alamo - the Shrine of Texas Liberty. It was completed the following year.

In 1998 Specialty Concrete was selected to install the chemically stained concrete installation for the new San Antonio Ronald Reagan High School. Additionally we were selected to install the new Sunset Station entertainment paving in San Antonio in 1998.

BHD, Inc. has been responsible for the design and installation of eight National Pool and Spa Gold Award Pools during the last six years.
BHD has recently completed the master landscape design for a beautiful new subdivision, Lakeside in Laredo, Texas near the new Texas A&M University campus.

The San Antonio staff of BHD/SC includes Randy D. Rodgers, President and graduate from UT Austin. Rose Mann, Office Manager. Kristi Hill, Administrative Assistance. Danny Eckhardt, a Texas A&M graduate with a degree in landscape architecture, directs the development of the BHD/SC projects. Patrick Hodges, also a graduate of Texas A&M with a degree in landscape architecture, is responsible for all landscape installations. Matt Stevens is a graduate of Texas A&M with a degree in landscape architecture.

Lyle Pearce heads up our chemical stain division.

Michael Barbkneckt directs the colored/textured concrete department and has been with the firm for over sixteen years.

Rudy Bermea came to BHD in the fall of 1999 to manage field operations for the landscape installation department.

Santos Canales creates beautiful masonry projects and manages one of the landscape crews.

Blue Heron Designs and Specialty Concrete are the leaders in both commercial and residential design/build concepts in Texas and we feel strongly that our many years of experience in the landscape business will reinforce this position for us. Our goals are to diversify the firm while continuing to install quality landscapes and special concrete finishes.

Innovation is essential and our continued use of creative materials has allowed us the opportunity to continue to be regarded on the "cutting edge" of creative hardscape and softscape since 1973.