Aug. 19, 2021

This paid piece is sponsored by Concrete Materials.

How do you service some of the largest construction projects in Sioux Falls history? Bring the concrete plant to them.

That’s the approach being taken by Concrete Materials, which has brought an entirely portable concrete plant to Foundation Park.

“Because of the volume of concrete required on the site, it really made sense on multiple levels,” said Terry Coomes, Ready Mix operations manager.

“Being right next to the projects allows us to give better service, requires fewer trucks and provides outstanding-quality concrete on-site.”

The portable plant can perform all the same services as a full-scale one and typically is used on major interstate highway projects. But Foundation Park, which has multiple massive buildings underway, was a natural place to put it, said Jim Simunek, Ready Mix sales manager.

“We use it every year, and it also helps us from a driver standpoint,” he said. “It takes less people if you’re driving a very short distance than if you’re going back and forth between the site and our main Sioux Falls plant.”

To put it in perspective, the concrete used on the approximately 3-million-square-foot fulfillment center known as “Project Stampede” under construction at Foundation Park will require 90,000 cubic yards of concrete – or 9,000 truckloads.

“And on that one, we’re running six days a week,” Coomes said. “If we were coming from half an hour away, it would take three times the trucks, so with the portable plant, we can continue to have trucks available for day-to-day customers. And overall building is so strong right now, there’s a lot of demand outside of Foundation Park too.”

Concrete Materials is supporting all the building underway at Foundation Park, but the biggest project is unlike anything of that scale ever seen in Sioux Falls, Simunek said.

“We needed a well-engineered mix to perform the way it needed to, and it was a challenge to take it on, but our drivers and our quality-control team have all stepped up to the plate and responded well to the challenge, and it’s given us a great feeling to know taking on a project this size is achievable for future endeavors.”

The work has been proceeding as planned, said Chaz Miller, project manager for general contractor Ryan Cos.

“We’re real happy with where things are at,” he said. “On a project this size, you’re always trying to find good key partners, and they’ve been great to work with. They’re very knowledgeable and accommodating. And pouring as much concrete as they do six days a week isn’t an easy task. They’ve been a really good partner.”

Having a local partner like Concrete Materials on-site as Foundation Park continues to develop is significant, said Bob Mundt, president and CEO of the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, which is developing the area.

“Their ability to support multiple large projects with an on-site portable plant is key to keeping construction proceeding efficiently,” he said.

“With all of these projects, we want to see local companies playing a key role in all areas of the building process. We’re fortunate we have such a premier operation in Concrete Materials able to make it happen for so many large developments now and going forward.”