Wells cultivates innovative partnerships with education organizations to build relationships and awareness within the precast industry. Through these programs and strategic partnerships, we help students and instructors with the tools and resources they need in order to take advantage of the many opportunities in the precast industry.

Teaching future engineers, architects, and construction management students about designing with precast concrete is a priority for Wells Concrete. We continue to research collaborative education opportunities that allow us to develop architectural and structural engineering programs with leading education institutes

Our current partnerships include:

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Wells Engineer Development Program (EDP)

We are extremely proud of our exclusive four-year, program-driven civil and structural engineering graduates looking to obtain the practical, written, and communication skills needed for a successful career in engineering. During the program, participants will be able to prepare for their Professional Engineering (PE) exam, and to ultimately obtain a PE license. Wells EDP participants work directly with Wells PEs to gain valuable, hands-on experience in field services, quality control, and engineering design.

At the end of the four-year Wells EDP, participants will be prepared to take the PE exam and obtain their PE license. One of the highlights of the Wells EDP is the hands-on experience gained in vastly different areas of the precast concrete business. Wells EDP participants complete the program with the knowledge, skills, and experience they need to excel in a wide range of engineering positions, but we’re happy to report most choose to continue their careers as Wells Precast Innovators.
   

Project S.A.V.E. Foundation

Project S.A.V.E. Foundation, Inc. is a certified 501(c)(3) Charitable Foundation administered by the St. Cloud Rox Baseball Club to serve as a ‘teammate’ to the many communities throughout Central Minnesota. The Foundation was launched in March of 2019 and will raise funds from corporate partnerships, private donations and through a select number of fundraisers and special events on a yearly basis. The Foundation’s main purpose is to provide grants, donations and scholarships in support of youth related programs and activities involving sports, arts, volunteerism and education initiatives.

Helping kids and having fun along the way. 

Wells involvement includes:

  • Providing five (5) individual student scholarship awards, each valued at $1,000.
   
  

Colorado School of Mines Engineering Students

Colorado School of Mines is known globally for the quality of its distinctive graduates. The Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE) offers design-oriented and student-centered undergraduate programs in Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering. The degrees build upon fundamental engineering principles and provide specialization within Civil and Environmental Engineering.

The Civil Engineering degree offers breadth in several Civil Engineering fields: Construction Engineering, Engineering Surveying, Environmental Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Structural Engineering, and Water Resources. Mines produces industry-ready scientists and engineers known for their work ethic, problem-solving ability and teamwork focus.

Wells involvement includes:

  • 45 students involved in the program
  • 6 Plant Tours each year
   

Colorado State University Boot Camp

Colorado State uses Boot Camp formula for precast. Undergraduate and graduate students from the Construction Management and Civil Engineering departments form multidisciplinary teams and work with Wells Concrete and CSU faculty to go through the full experience of a precast Design Build project. The program structure covers:

  • The sustainability and life cycle cost aspects of precast,
  • The use of BIM in precast,
  • Scheduling and planning (time savings associated with precast),
  • Estimating of precast projects
  • Site logistics and execution planning.

These topics are covered through a case study teaching model where all lessons will be related to a specific, under-construction project in the Northern Colorado Front Range. The course also includes plant tours and site tours to the specified project.

Wells Concrete has committed to selecting a project where the students will be allowed to tour and perform all of the aforementioned activities while being involved in the boot camp. The program gives CM students precast-specific design knowledge while also introducing CE students to the practical aspects involved with moving from a design to a completed structure.

Wells involvement includes:

  • 13 students involved in the Boot Camp
  • Semi-Annual Project and Plant Tours
  • Classroom Presentations from Dan Parker and Michael Clay
  • Big Beam Sponsor 2019
   

Dunwoody College of Technology

Senior instructor, Ben Holbrook leads this group of Survey and Civil Engineering Technology.

Wells involvement includes:

  • 154 students enrolled in the Surveying and Civil Engineering Technology (SCVL) and Construction Management programs
  • Annual Plant Tour – attendees of Dig In Event in Rosemount, MN
  • Wells, along with members of the Minnesota Prestress Association (MNPA), donated funds to create scholarships totaling $10,000.00.  Winners to be announced at a future date.
  • MNPA also donated dollars for the purchase of concrete and aggregate testing equipment for the Dunwoody Lab.
   

Iowa State University

Wells involvement includes:

  • 100 students involved in the Architectural Program
  • Annual Spring Plant Tour for Arch 348 classes
  • Three guest lecturing spots each autumn for the Arch 445 class presented by Curt Gear
   

Minnesota State University, Mankato Engineering and Construction Management Program

This program kicked off in the fall of 2014 led by Farhad Reza and Mohamed Diab. It is a collaboration between the Civil Engineering and Construction Management programs at Minnesota State University, Mankato and Wells Concrete. This project has five primary objectives, which focus on civil engineering and construction management undergraduate students, and on practicing engineers in the southern Minnesota region.

  1. To provide undergraduate civil engineering students with a working knowledge in the materials, methods, and design principles of prestressed and precast concrete.
  2. To teach undergraduate construction management students the unique attributes of precast concrete, and to facilitate their ability to assess constructability, schedules, and cost estimates.
  3. To introduce both civil engineering and construction management students to BIM so that each recognize its benefits, particularly when the BIM is shared between the engineer and contractor.
  4. To serve as a resource for continuing education of professionals in both basic and advanced topics of precast/prestressed concrete.
  5. To provide faculty and students the opportunities to engage in meaningful research especially beneficial to the precast industry.

Pod Cast: Two of our employees participated in a pod cast about MN State Mankato Studio for PCI. You can listen to it HERE.

Wells involvement includes:

  • PCI Studio Sponsor
  • 50 students involved in the Construction Management program; 30 students involved in the Civil Engineering program
  • Students attend Dig In Event in Rosemount, MN
  • Semi-Annual Project and Plant Tours
  • Question and Answer Sessions for seniors, for their senior design projects
  • Classroom presentations from various Wells departments including project management, construction management/sales, field services, and engineering. Including:
    • Annual lecture on Cive101 Intro class and Prestress design elective class.
  • PCI Big Beam Sponsor – provide materials, pour, design consultation and break their beam
  • Concrete Canoe Sponsor – provide materials and guidance
   

North Dakota State University

Wells involvement includes:

  • Annual Plant tours with 50 architectural students from Arch 351 classes
  • Group led by Steve C. Martens; Architect, CCS, Associate Professor; North Dakota State University
   

St. Cloud Technical & Community College

Wells involvement includes:

  • Annual Plant tours with 50 welding and mechanics students
  • Participant in the Exploring Potential Interests and Careers (EPIC) event, a hands on career exploration for more than 2,500 students from 20 area schools
   

 

University of Colorado, Denver

This Studio started in 2016 and investigates several architectural themes over the course of three academic years: Tectonic Expression, Programmatic Specificity and Spatial Quality. These themes may be investigated separately or in conjunction with one another and may be investigated as enclosure systems (facades), structural systems, and as integrated systems (structural enclosure systems).

Professor Matt Shea and the students in this Studio took on these challenges during their spring studio. The students took on a project that had some very real-world implications, although on a hypothetical project. The Friends of America’s Mountain—a group supporting Pikes Peak—interacted with the students and acted as the client for the project. This project, more so than many others, had some unique challenges. For example, an elevation of 14,115 feet provided a challenge in getting building materials to the visitor center.

Another interesting challenge was that there are three ways to ascend to the peak, via the 19-mile Pikes Peak Highway, the Manitou Incline that consists of about 2,744 steps, or the Cog Railway. These three routes come together at the summit. The material of choice for the project was precast concrete. Students worked with Wells Concrete not only to learn the basics of precast concrete design and construction, but also to ensure that they addressed limitations in terms of transporting precast through two major switchbacks and how erectability and crane choices would affect the design.

Wells involvement includes:

  • PCI Studio Sponsor
  • 20 of students involved in the Schools of Architecture
  • Semi-Annual Project and Plant Tours
  • Classroom Presentations
  • Judge of yearly Precast Challenge Contest
  • Sample Pours – help students pour their own mock-up samples in the plant
   

University of Minnesota, Duluth Mechanical and Civil Engineering

For the University of Minnesota Duluth, the focus will be on resilient precast in the engineering curriculum (RPEC). Ben Dymond of the Department of Civil Engineering is coordinating the program in conjunction with the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering / and the Master of Business Administration program.

This multidisciplinary educational program aims to combine the traditional approach to concrete engineering education with cutting-edge knowledge related to resiliency and business management. Traditionally, engineers learn the basics of concrete design, while possibly discussing precast concrete, but they fail to investigate why they should choose precast concrete or how resilient precast concrete fits into an organizational dynamic. This program will address those questions and others while challenging students to push the envelope of resiliency in precast concrete.

The program will include new content in four courses taken during a student’s junior and senior years. Once a student completes the courses they will have a certificate on their transcript noting the special interest of the student in resiliency and precast concrete design. All students in the department will now be exposed to some precast concrete curriculum.

A website for the program is at here.

Wells involvement includes:

  • PCI Studio Sponsor
  • 13 students enrolled in the certificate program
  • Annual Project Tours
  • Precast Presentations from Gary Pooley and Ryan Garden
  • Shear capacity of hollowcore sections project with Professor Dymond and a graduate student for a Thesis paper.

Wells in association with the Minnesota Prestress Association (MNPA) and PCI Midwest committed to donate funds totaling $100,000.00 over 4 years to create scholarships to support this PCI Studio. Ten students are supported by these RPEC scholarships.
   
 

University of Wisconsin – Stout

Wells along with members of the Minnesota Prestress Association (MNPA) donated funds to create an endowment.  This endowment ensures a yearly $1,000 scholarship in MNPA’s name for the life of MNPA. This year’s winner is Ryan Miller and was presented at the Sept. 13th Stout’s Annual scholarship ceremony.

Michelle Dingwall (Stout University Foundation), aids in this partnership with the Construction Management program.
   
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United Central School in Wells, MN

Wells Concrete donated the precast concrete materials needed to build the stadium.  The district built the new facility following the passage of a referendum by taxpayers to fund the construction. But with a tight budget, local businesses chipped in to give the stadium a bit of extra special flair with the purchase of 840 Metrodome seats for $40 each. Wells Concrete was one of the business that contributed to the football stadium by donating the precast structure.

http://www.faribaultcountyregister.com/page/content.detail/id/511655/usc-names-its-football-stadium.html?nav=5002\

http://www.keyc.com/story/24511823/new-southern-minnesota-football-field-features-metrodome-seats