Leading the precast concrete sector, Coreslab Structures (OKLA) Inc. is well-known for its innovative building methods, structural and architectural know-how, and dedication to environmentally friendly business practices. With 17 production sites spread throughout North America, Coreslab boasts nearly 50 years of expertise producing award-winning outcomes, a testament to its sustainable techniques and creative structural design.
The company’s vast nationwide and international network of in-house and outside professionals supports its individualized service, ensuring customers receive a customized solution that suits individual demands built on a foundation of teamwork, creativity, and a dedication to quality.
To ensure every aspect of a project goes as smoothly as possible, Coreslab is committed to working together both on-site and internally, with an award-winning team that collaborates with engineers, architects, construction managers, and owners. From managing a constrained timeline and cutting waste on the construction site to creating and producing useful, aesthetically pleasing products, Coreslab goes above and beyond to pay attention to the details.
In order to provide the construction sector with cutting-edge solutions, Coreslab strives to constantly advance its technical know-how, works hard to ensure the success of clients’ projects, and is dedicated to quality in all it does. “The 50-year milestone for Coreslab Structures International is really a testament to the quality work they do and the relationships and the trust they build with their customers, specifically here, with our location. We’re so proud to be a part of Oklahoma City,” says Sales Manager Richard Owens. “We really do pride ourselves on being part of the community, building and growing it, and taking on new challenges.”
In fact, Coreslab Structures (OKLA) Inc. couldn’t have made it 35 years without the trust and the partnerships built along the way, he adds. “It really speaks to the quality of the work we do and the quality of the people we have here. We definitely view ourselves as partners here.”
After leaving a previous precaster because they only built “grey boxes everywhere,” Owens knew he wanted to instead build something beautiful. “That’s really what Coreslab here in Oklahoma City has given me the opportunity to do, to add to the beauty of Oklahoma,” he says.
One of those beautiful projects is Taft Middle School, which Owens refers to as a “jewel in the crown” of architectural work. “It’s just a gorgeous building.”
Comprising 388 precast pieces that are coming together to create a “safe and inspiring space for students and the community,” this truly unique project also includes a storm shelter and multi-color panels that will make the campus both welcoming and resilient for years to come.
“The original school was very Art Deco, and they’re keeping that front part of the school,” Owens explains. “We’re going to branch off into wings on both sides of it and behind it. Rather than knocking down this just gorgeous school, we’re getting a chance to add to it and expand on it.”
The project came about through a partnership with architects Butzer Architects and Urbanism, Lingo Construction Services and Coreslab’s outside engineering firm CEG, accompanied by the company’s own plant and production team. “When I started to take this project on, I wasn’t even 100 percent certain it could be done, but after some long nights and a lot of pre-planning, it’s coming together beautifully,” Owens shares.
Coreslab, he adds, works with a wonderful contractor who always says that what he is making is art. “When we were having a meeting on Taft Middle School, I’d remembered him saying that a long time ago, and I said, ‘I want to make art. I want to look at something and take my kid to it and be proud of it.’”
And with precast, anything is possible. Other notable Coreslab projects include a stunning parking structure for the Chickasaw Nation, as well as an outside parking garage for OKANA Resort & Indoor Water Park.
Destroying the notion that precast is inherently grey and unattractive, Coreslab is determined to impart the material’s worth and beauty further throughout the industry. “Precast is faster and stronger than your traditional tilt-up, and more versatile in the sense that I can get better color control,” says Owens. “That’s because our product is made indoors; therefore, we have way more control over variables like weather.”
Precast allows for use in a variety of different applications, he adds. “We’ve built churches, schools, parking garages, and a cheese manufacturing facility, which is a food-grade facility. Precast has so many uses and so many finishes. It’s almost limitless.”
In terms of ongoing innovation, Coreslab is now employing acid etching for its panels, which gives them a crisp, clean finish, maintaining the color of the concrete while giving it an almost sparkly finish.
“Precast really is the most versatile,” says Owens. “I come from a traditional sales background, and I got into precast almost by accident. When I talk to people about precast, and they say, ‘Why would you want to get into it?’ I say, ‘I can’t imagine anyone wanting to do anything else.’ Every day I’m going to see something that I’ve never seen before and build something that’s going to long outlive me.”
The challenge, however, remains helping other builders understand the numerous benefits precast offers, particularly those companies that are stuck using traditional products and don’t want to change their ways. “Some builders say it’s the way they’ve always done it, whether it’s building out of block or brick. Precast allows us to do a thin brick, for example, and we’re going to be gone in days versus months of construction time.”
Indeed, precast can be sold on price, schedule, and quality, he stresses, and it checks all those boxes in ways people don’t necessarily understand. There is also some misunderstanding about its cost, which is comparable when compared to other more commonly used materials. It can get more expensive when building high architectural structures, but it’s still affordable, says Owens. “I think when people really do an apples-to-apples comparison—a precast garage versus a cast-in-place garage—we’re going to be cheaper, we’re going to be stronger, we’re going to be faster, and what more can you ask for?”
It’s not just Coreslab’s products and commitment to quality that help keep it going strong; the company’s employees and the culture have combined to create a bedrock of experience, skill, and dedication. With a General Manager who has been there for 20 years, a Director of Projects of 20 years, and an Estimating team in Owens’ department with 40 years of experience, the depth of knowledge is impressive.
“Our engineering manager has a PhD; we’ve got drafters that have been here forever. We’ve got a gentleman who’s loved dearly, a man by the name of Dale, who has been at Coreslab longer than I’ve been alive,” Owens says, dating back to when the company was called Thomas Concrete. “With 43 years of experience, he’s that guy you go to if you need to find where something is located, or you need someone to tell you what you did in the parking garage in 1981.”
A rarity at companies these days, this commitment and care are what Owens truly appreciates, along with what Coreslab has to offer, both in its projects and its people. “I remember asking, ‘What is the culture at Coreslab?’ And it really is loyalty. Coreslab is very loyal to their employees, and in return, the employees are loyal to Coreslab,” he says. “We’re very fortunate in that we are a company that’s supportive. We’re very much a team here, and I’ve never asked someone for help and had them say, ‘I can’t help you right now.’ It’s always, ‘How can I help? What can I do?’”
Some of the biggest challenges Coreslab faces are similar to what the industry at large is seeing in the market, including interest rates that have “hammered” the private sector for development. Navigating those waters and being a little more public works-heavy, taking on more government projects than might be typical in a year, the company has had to pivot while still being there to service the private sector. “That’s really been the biggest challenge for us,” says Owens. “It’s kind of the same pain everyone’s had.”
When he looks ahead, there are some goals he has in mind, including being the first option in Oklahoma City when a building is planned. “I want architects to call Coreslab and say, ‘How would you make this out of precast?’ That’s my ultimate goal.”
In addition to celebrating upcoming company anniversaries, Owens also has high praise for the employees who choose to work at Coreslab. “I always go back to our people. No one can replicate our people, our team. That’s really what differentiates Coreslab Structures (OKLA) Inc.”
And the company must be doing something right, celebrating an impressive set of anniversaries with employees always striving for success and customer satisfaction. “I think it’s going to be a great year,” Owens says. “There are some wonderful projects that I believe we’re going to get that will plant a flag. I’m looking forward to those. They’re going to be projects that are absolute legacy projects.”
That legacy isn’t for Owens himself, he stresses. He came to Coreslab to build a legacy for the company itself for years to come. “It really is a great company to work for, and I think 99 percent of the people here feel the same way. It’s about that team and that goal.”
