Gate Precast will maintain its name for now but move its headquarters from San Jose to Downtown as new owners take over, the company said July 21.
The company will move to 245 Riverside Ave. in the Brooklyn area of Downtown from 9540 San Jose Blvd., where former owner Gate Petroleum Co. is based in the Beauclerc area of Mandarin.
Dean Gwin continues as president and COO of GATE Precast and Brian Griffis is vice president of sales.
The Wells Companies Inc., which makes prefabricated buildings in the United States, announced July 15 that it bought Gate Precast. Terms were not disclosed.
Gate Precast said it had 980 employees systemwide.
Gwin said that Gate Precast employees will be retained.
“Our people are our greatest asset. We are looking forward to building a strong future together as part of the Wells Companies,” Gwin said in an emailed statement July 21.
Gate Precast produced the exterior precast concrete façade in 2002 for the 245 Riverside Ave. building, then known as St. Joe Riverside.
Jacksonville-based Hakimian Holdings bought the six-story, 136,853-square-foot building for $25.15 million in September 2022 and renamed it Gates of Riverside.
Wells, based in Albany, Minnesota, said in a July 15 news release that the companies have 110 years of combined experience in the industry.
The release said Gate Precast operates eight manufacturing facilities for prefabricated concrete systems for structures, for example, parking garages.
The acquisition includes the $23.6 million purchase July 12 of the Gate Precast Co. plant at 402 Zoo Parkway in North Jacksonville. The 172,026-square-foot facility is on 73.17 acres.
LAN SE LLC, which shares an address with Wells, bought the property.
Wells President and CEO Dan Juntunen said the companies’ relationship has grown stronger over 10 years.
With the acquisition, Wells grows to more than 20 locations across the United States with 14 manufacturing facilities totaling 2,200 team members over more than 30 states.
In 2023, the companies completed more than 600 projects with almost $4 billion in preconstruction.
The WellsConcrete.com site shows offices and manufacturing facilities in Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin..
Wells says it has more than 70 years of experience with design and construction companies.
GatePrecast.com lists some of the company’s primary projects as Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center and its parking structure, The Ohio State University Biomedical Research Tower and the University of North Florida parking garage.
Gate says it bought the precast business in 1980 as it was acquiring nonpetroleum businesses.
In addition to its corporate office in Jacksonville and its manufacturing facility on Zoo Parkway, the company has:
• Manufacturing facilities in Ashland City, Tennessee; Kissimmee; Atlanta; Monroeville, Alabama; Pearland, Texas; and two in Hillsboro, Texas.
• Satellite engineering offices in Nashville, Tennessee; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Winchester, Kentucky.