VGXI, Inc.

At T.W. Hicks, Inc., the combination of an innovative, knowledgeable, and intensely committed team allows them to be the industrial flooring professionals with whom clients from all over Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma are eager to do business. Women-owned and family-operated, T.W. Hicks has proven itself time and time again as among the top commercial floor contractors in Dallas and beyond for over twenty years in the industrial flooring industry with offices located in Dallas/Fort Worth, San Antonio, and Houston.

T.W. Hicks was proud to be of service to VGXI, Inc. as it is a leading provider of manufacturing and development services for plasmid DNA for use in DNA vaccines and gene therapy products. T.W. Hicks expertly coordinated with the many trades involved in bringing their state-of-the-art headquarters and manufacturing facility to life in Conroe, Texas, and looks forward to working with VGXI, Inc., Sika, and BE&K Building Group again in the future.

VGXI, Inc.’s new headquarters and manufacturing facility is full of unique environments, where high-concentration chemicals, sensitive electronic equipment, and extreme temperatures can be part of the daily routine. In these conditions, the safeguarding of employees, costly machinery, and valuable research data is critical. Optimal facility flooring can play an important role in supporting GMPs and efficiency throughout the organization.

T.W. Hicks understood that this project was fast tracked and would require that we think outside the box when putting our preparation and installation plan together. “Because of the aggressive nature of the construction schedule, we knew that we would be asked to install the new resinous flooring system before the concrete was fully cured.” said President, Tim Hicks. The crews mechanically prepared the new concrete substrate to provide a CSP 3 profile for adhesion per the manufacturer's specification and applied Sika’s polyurethane slurry mortar system at 3/16” as a mortar bed to minimize any moisture drive from the concrete. All of the other trades were then allowed to continue their scopes of work. Once all of the walls were built and prior to any equipment being brought into the space, BE&K was instrumental in bringing in large dehumidifiers to pull as much moisture out of the building which helped balance the air in the building, preventing any immediate moisture drive into the new floor system.  

T.W. Hicks also had the opportunity to host a lunch and learn on the job site. They always enjoy sharing their story with customers, but this was especially fun because they were able to share all of the services that T.W. Hicks has to offer and discuss their scope of work for this project to the management team from BE&K as well as the Architect and owner’s representatives. After the onsite lunch and learn, the team was able to walk the job together and discuss the mockups that were installed at VGXI, Inc’s. facility, giving T.W. Hicks color and texture approvals on the spot.

One of the unique qualities of this job with VGXI, Inc was the requirements of a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility at this level with the standard that there be no ninety-degree corners and the challenging cove base installation. Craftsmen spent several weeks hand troweling approximately 5,000 linear feet of 4” integral epoxy cove base that had to meet very specific guidelines and be troweled to the aluminum track of the wall system after it was attached to the polyurethane mortar system.

The vinyl flake floor system that VGXI selected was one of the most unique colors ever installed. TW Hicks has not installed this color in 30 years of installs, but it will not be the last with the great feedback that was received about the color. The vinyl flake system was installed over the floor and up the cove base, providing a seamless, chemical resistant, and easy to clean environment.

The team also polished the concrete on the first and second floor office and corridor areas. The professional processes and techniques used by T.W. Hicks is what sets them apart as the top commercial floor contractors in Dallas. T.W. Hicks remains among the top commercial flooring contractors in Dallas and beyond, as it is a company dedicated to going above and beyond to provide the best results.