The North Dakota Ready Mix Association selected the Bismarck Career Academy for a Gold Star award in the precast category of the 2011 Gold Star Awards program.

The project team included:

• Owner: Bismarck Public Schools
• Architect: Tvenge Architects and Planners
• Engineer: CW Structural
• General Contractor: Northwest Contracting

When considering a new school on the Bismarck State College campus, near the existing Career & Technical Education Center, it was clear there was one building product that would provide the magnitude this space should portray. Bismarck Public Schools has a history of working with precast; the decision was easy particularly given the aggressive construction schedule.

The Center has enrollment of nearly 800 students annually from nine different public and private high schools. The academy offers hands-on coursework in Aviation, Horticulture/Botany (complete with a greenhouse), Pre-engineering/Tech Ed, medical-related careers, Electronics, Graphic Design/Digital Design and a Resource room.

The site this building was constructed on presented some challenges through design as the building was set into a hillside. Additionally, the inherent time crunch prevalent in school construction, made a natural fit for precast as speed of construction is a compelling advantage. Finally, precast offers the durability and minimal maintenance a public school warrants.

This building was produced in Wells Concrete’s Grand Forks plant and shipped to the site where Northwest Contracting installed the product. The design offered an aesthetically pleasing mix of precast, metal panels, and mirrored glass that really make this building stand out on the Bismarck State College campus.

Wells Concrete was awarded Hawkins Chemical with Knutson Construction, Paul Meyer Architects, and Larson Engineering.  The building project on 28 acres in Rosemount, MN provides Hawkins the space to transfer some manufacturing activity.

Wells Concrete was awarded Polarfab III with Mortenson Construction and BWBR Architects.  This is the second project of its kind with this team for Polarfab Semiconductors Inc. in Bloomington.  This 180,000 sf addition expands manufacturing and office space for their clean room operations.  The product mix Wells will produce and install includes wall panels with two different mix designs in one panel, columns and beams, and hollowcore plank floors.  Product will be produced in Wells plant.

August 18, 2011 – Join Wells Concrete and Altus Group as they host a “More with Less” seminar entitled Building Enclosure & Technology on Oct. 28, 2011 at the University of Minnesota – Campus Club in Minneapolis, MN.

Clients and project partners are invited to join as the presentation outlines new ways to create enclosures that are lighter, stronger, sustainable and more energy efficient. Earn up to six AIA-registered continuing education credits when you attend a full-day seminar on new precast design technologies. Presentations will be held at 16 locations nationwide.

Presentations will explain use of new precast reinforcing materials, mix designs, rigid insulation profiles, nanotechnology-enabled coatings and unitized construction. Attendees will learn how to design low-CO2e exterior wall systems that control moisture and improve energy efficiency and sustainability.

Interested building profesionals can register for the seminar at www.morewithlesstour.com. A $50 registration fee will be refunded upon attendance. Call 866-GO-ALTUS or info@altusprecast.com for more information.

January 6, 2011 – The board of directors of Wells Concrete is pleased to announce that Dan Juntunen has accepted the position as President/CEO of Wells Companies, including Wells Concrete, effective immediately.

“Dan Juntunen’s understanding of the finances, along with his in-depth involvement with Wells Concrete’s growth to date puts him in ideal position for the President/CEO role and all that it will entail,” says Jim Nesius, chairman of the board.

Excited for the opportunity the marketplace holds for precast products at a time when building construction is in constant pursuit of cost effective solutions, Dan will lead a solid leadership team to meet strong revenue and profit goals while maintaining Wells Concrete’s core competencies with the fiscal responsibility his experience as chief financial officer affords him.

“I recognize the significant dynamics the marketplace presents, but I am very optimistic of how Wells Concrete is positioned and how we will be able to leverage that strong presence,” said Juntunen of his role. “We’re a strong company that has recognized some great successes over the years.”

Juntunen joined Wells concrete as Chief Financial Officer in March 2007. The financial/accounting role Dan vacated will be filled as he completes his transition over the upcoming weeks.

December 1, 2010 – Wells Concrete announces the opening of a Minneapolis office. Conveniently located at the crossroad of highway 55 and 100 at 623A North Lilac Drive, Minneapolis 55422 the space will accommodate two account managers, marketing director and project manager.
“The need was apparent for us to be in a more central location to serve our twin cities client base; this office allows us that,” says Spencer Kubat, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Wells Concrete. “This space also provides greater collaboration in the sales and estimating functions for providing competitive pricing to our clients.”
The company maintains sales efforts in Wells, Minneapolis, Fargo, and Grand Forks to support the three precast plant operations in Grand Forks, ND; Wells and Albany, MN.