Sources: Wells Concrete, Albany, Minn.; CP staff
Sited on 65 acres in Brighton, Colo. and the focal point of a $45 million investment, Wells Concrete’s new office and production facility brings under one modern roof the former Rocky Mountain Prestress architectural and structural precast lines housed on separate, nearly adjacent sites bordering downtown Denver. Staff relocation and other transition measures have commenced ahead of Memorial Day.
“Combining the power of these two plants into one provides a unique opportunity to deliver the highest levels of structural integrity and architectural finishes to our customers,” says Wells Concrete President and CEO Dan Juntunen. “Our ability to maximize capabilities developed by Wells Concrete and Rocky Mountain Prestress, as well as driving future innovation in building systems will be greatly enhanced.”
Over the years, Wells has made a concerted effort to be an innovative leader in the construction industry, he adds, pioneering efforts toward growth and expansion to better meet the needs of communities across the nation. In January 2019, the producer acquired Rocky Mountain Prestress, an integral part of the Denver business community for 60 years, and brought the business into the fold as part of its corporate vision.
“Wells is a family-owned company in its fourth generation with a long-term view of business relationships,” notes Wells Companies Chairman Sam Nesius. “This exciting project takes the Wells Companies from a regional company to a national brand, demonstrating our commitment to our national customers. The Brighton facility is the newest precast facility in the country, and the investment we’ve made in technology will keep Wells at the forefront of innovation in the precast market.”
The new 123,000 total precast facility showcases the unique innovation and engineering of internal teams as well as partnerships with PCL Construction, KL&A, and Davis Partnership Architects. Nearly 300,000 sq. ft. of precast is incorporated into the office, manufacturing and batch plant enclosures. The production facility is designed to be very versatile in order to meet client demands. The inventory of forms has increased and can be moved around to fit the needs of any given project. Many of the new forms are long line with prestressing capability for economy and efficiency. The year-round operation will produce all architectural precast indoors while using the outdoor forms for structural members. The lifting capacity moved from 15-ton cranes in the Denver plants to 25-ton cranes in the new facility, providing the opportunity for additional products of various sizes, higher volumes, a more responsive turn-around, and higher quality.
“This project will launch Wells Concrete into the future, far beyond what I realized we could do with the functionality of a new plant—it’s night and day from what we have had in the past,” affirms Wells Concrete Western Division Director of Operations Doug McCarthy. “The project will position the company for strong growth and industry leadership, bringing increased capacity and efficiencies that enable us to serve customers better now and in the future.”
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