“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,” said Dan Juntunen, President and CEO of Wells Concrete. “In addition, 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 pioneered its efforts toward growth and expansion to better meet the needs of communities across the nation. In January of 2019, Wells acquired Rocky Mountain Prestress, a part of the Denver business community for 60 years and brought them into the fold as part of Wells Concrete’s corporate vision.
“Wells is a family-owned company in its fourth generation with a long-term view of business relationships,” said Sam Nesius, Chairman of The Wells Companies. “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.”
Nearly 300,000 square feet of precast is incorporated into the office, manufacturing, and batch plants. The three-story office façade has acid etch and formliner finishes in a light gray concrete mix. Integrated enclosure system lightweight wall panels were used on the west side of the office building and formliner-insulated spandrels over the rest of the office exterior. The elevator shaft has black concrete formliner wall panels with illuminated Wells logo signage.
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The production facility was designed to be versatile in order to meet the demands of Wells’ clients. 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. This year-round manufacturing facility will produce all architectural precast indoors while using the outdoor forms for structural production. The lifting capacity moved from 15-ton cranes in the previous plant 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. The operations space also includes locker rooms and a lunch area for plant employees.
“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,” said Doug McCarthy, Director of Operations for the Western Division. “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.”
The new facility will add jobs to the Brighton economy as the facility continues to grow into its full capability. Along with the relocation of existing employees, the development of the new facility will result in an initial capital investment of over $45 million.
“Wells is very proud of this new facility, and we extend our thanks to everyone involved in both Wells East, Wells West, and all of our partners who have brought us to this point,” said Mike Hemberger, Chief Operational Officer Western Division. “Wells Concrete looks forward to serving our regional building community as well as being a community member in Brighton.”
