Olympus Precast

Olympus Precast, formerly known as Owell Precast, has been serving contractors and developers with quality precast concrete products since 1997. Established by Dave Ball, the business has made a name for quality, efficiency and safety while providing unique and durable precast products. Bill Ashton, current president of Olympus Precast, has been with the business since 2009 and leads a team of approximately 150 employees working throughout Utah and the surrounding states.

The business has recently undergone significant rebranding, changing its operational name to Olympus Precast in January 2015. As the company expands its capabilities and pursues new opportunities in the commercial and residential construction markets, contractors and developers recognize consistent quality and service despite the name change.

“We offer the highest-quality fencing products in the precast industry,” explains Ashton. “We fill a niche as the premier producer of decorative precast fencing and sound wall in Utah. We also have the best-looking retaining blocks in the Western U.S.” Olympus Precast’s product line also includes hollow-core plank, retaining walls, bridge components, and architectural precast components.

A diverse target market

With clients in both the commercial and residential construction markets, Olympus Precast products are used in a variety of applications. From a single location in Bluffdale, the company produces quality precast components that enhance buildings and landscapes in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and California.

The company’s Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI)-certified plant serves customers with indoor casting facilities, on-site quality control and a private equipment fleet — used for transportation and installation. Working alongside four sister companies, Olympus Precast is able to provide seamless and comprehensive service to its many customers.

Recent work includes a host of large commercial projects, including trucking facilities, performing arts venues and everything in between. Olympus Precast performs 90 percent of work in-house, with its some 150 employees working throughout the Western U.S. providing comprehensive installation services and quality and safety monitoring.

Crucial quality

Olympus Precast is working with Killian Construction on a facility for Prime Inc., a large trucking company. The project will result in a top-of-the-line, new truck plaza in Salt Lake City. “Prime is a total precast concrete structure, which is to say that all of the structural members in the building are precast concrete as well as the exposed exterior element for the complex,” says Roger Arnell, business development manager for Olympus Precast. “The project is comprised of insulated sandwich wall panels, supporting beams and columns, double-tee roof members and hollow-core planks at the mezzanine floor.”

The precast concrete components are critical to the success of the construction phase of the project. Arnell explains that the schedule is dependent upon the engineering, drafting, production and installation capacity of Olympus Precast. “We are one of very few pre-casters in the West capable of successfully completing this substantial project within the necessary time requirements,” he adds.

The team is also involved in the complex design and production of precast components for the expansion of the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison, Utah. Working with Layton Construction under the Utah Department of Construction and Management, the company’s scope of work includes monolithic and insulated concrete wall panels.

This project includes significant safety and security aspects. Security must remain a critical factor of every part of the design and production process. For installation, Olympus Precast is providing highly trained and experienced men and women to work within the existing parameters of the prison.

Olympus Precast is also working with AMD Architecture and Sirq Construction on the Salt Lake City Parks and Recreation Tracy Aviary project. AMD specializes in sustainable design and selected Olympus Precast because the company’s products meet the aesthetic, functional and budgetary needs of the new addition of the aviary.

“The aesthetic design was accomplished by using a combination of form liners, reveals, textures and integral and post-applied colors,” Arnell elaborates. “The insulated precast panels provided both the structural integrity of the building and the desired architectural design. The skilled craftsmen at Olympus Precast gave the architect exactly what was wanted. Performing at this high level of detail and doing it on time and within the budget is a nice feather in the cap of all involved with the design and construction of the signature project.”

Coming out of the recession, the construction industry is getting stronger by the day. Olympus Precast is taking on new challenges and opportunities each year as the company grows. Ashton foresees organic growth of 15 percent over the next two years. The business continues to reinvest in production capabilities, technology and personnel.

With the right team in place and a reputation for excellence, Olympus Precast maintains a high level of quality, safety and service as a leader in the precast concrete market.