Metals and Heavy Industry Construction in Wyoming

Turnaround windows are measured in days, and the ground work behind them is measured in seasons. That is the first thing we explain to a plant manager in a Wyoming trona plant, refinery or processing yard. A shutdown that cannot slip needs foundations poured, steel fabricated, laydown cleared and crews badged before the gate closes behind the last operator. Everything before that date is ours to get right.

We work for owners who dig, crush, refine and cast: trona and soda ash producers, coal and mineral operators, refineries and the foundries and fabricators that serve them. Their sites are heavy. Floors carry rolling equipment, foundations carry vibration, and yards carry loads that would destroy a parking lot in a month. Their schedules are tied to production, and an hour of downtime has a price attached.

We work the way the plants already do. We use their permit to work, follow their safety orientation, stay out of their traffic lanes and tell them early when the weather or the supply chain is about to move a date. We plan around the drive and the weather, then the work.

Working backward from the shutdown

A turnaround plan starts with the date the unit goes down. We set the pour dates, the steel delivery, the crane picks and the backfill so that every piece is done and inspected before that day, with a float of at least a week for weather. In Wyoming winter, a float of a week is not generous. A storm can close the interstate for a day and an access road for three.

Mobilization is a task in itself. Crews, equipment and a laydown area have to be on site and badged before the shutdown, and the plant's own contractors are arriving at the same time. We stagger our mobilization, reserve gate time and agree on a parking plan with the owner so the first morning of the shutdown is not a traffic jam. When work extends beyond one shift, we plan for lighting, heat and a hot meal.

Trona, coal, refining and the metals around them

Four trona mines operate in Sweetwater County per the State Inspector of Mines' 2025 report, with 2,296 workers, and Wyoming supplies about 90 percent of U.S. soda ash. Genesis Alkali's mine near Green River runs about 1,600 feet underground in a deposit with 25 beds. The proposed Dry Creek project would put a processing facility with a rail loop and cogeneration about 8 miles west of Green River, with a construction workforce averaging about 2,100 and peaking near 4,200.

Coal is changing form. Campbell County commissioners approved carving nearly 1,500 acres out of the Coal Creek mine, rezoned heavy industrial, with the coal tipple, rail lines and buildings kept in place for future tenants. At Fort Union, north of Gillette, Atlas Carbon operates beside a small innovation center researching non-burning uses of coal. The refinery at Sinclair remains in use, and a surviving refinery operates at Evansville near Casper.

Concrete and earth we manage closely

Heavy industry puts concrete to work harder than any other owner. We schedule and supervise equipment foundations, containment, trench drains and heavy slabs, along with the earthwork and subgrade preparation underneath. For sites with rail, our rail spur site improvements cover grading, drainage and the ballast base up to the track contractor's scope.

When a project calls for new framing, we manage structural steel erection for process buildings, pipe racks and equipment supports, working to the engineer's connection details and the owner's lift plan. Doing both foundation and steel with one team removes the gap where anchor bolts and base plates usually go wrong.

Underground, confined and hot work

Heavy industry sites have hazards that the rest of construction rarely touches. Our teams work around hot equipment, process lines, buried utilities, rotating machinery and dust. We follow the owner's permit system for hot work, confined space entry and excavation, attend the safety orientation, and stop work when conditions change. The plant's rules and ours are written to match before the first shovel.

Wind and cold add risk on open yards, where there is no shelter between the equipment and the horizon. We set wind limits for crane picks, require cold-weather gear and watch for ice in the places where water or steam leaks. Mining operations bring their own safety rules, and we follow them wherever we work.

What drives the price of heavy work

Cost on an industrial site is mostly access and time. Working inside an operating plant slows production-support work because of permits, escorts and restricted hours. Short windows push costs up through overtime, extra crews and expedited material. Underground conditions, including old foundations and abandoned lines, are the most common source of change orders, so we scan, pothole and review as-builts before we price.

Distance matters in Wyoming. Sites in Sweetwater County, Campbell County and Carbon County are a long way from Cheyenne, and every crew day includes a drive. We build lodging and fuel into the estimate and keep working inventories of consumables on site. A clear allowance for unknowns protects both of us when a trench exposes something that was not on the drawings.

Demolition, power and parts supply

Plants that change process often need demolition before they can build. Our industrial demolition services remove old foundations, tanks and structures with a plan for hazardous material, utilities and haul-off. Where a mine or plant is closing, as at Coal Creek, selective demolition keeps the tipple, rail and buildings that the next tenant will want.

Heavy industry also depends on the energy sector, and our utilities and power work shares crews, equipment and safety practice. Fleet and parts operations for vehicles used in these industries are covered under automotive and EV. Larger vehicle and parts plants are covered on our page for automotive and EV plant buildings.

Give us the shutdown date

Send the shutdown date, the scope and the access rules. We will work backward to the mobilization date and tell you where the weather and the drive put your float.

Common Questions

How much weather float belongs in a turnaround schedule here?

At least a week, and more in winter. Storms close roads, high wind halts crane work, and cold slows concrete. We show the owner the float on the schedule and not buried in durations.

Can you build a foundation next to running equipment?

Yes, with vibration monitoring and an agreed excavation method. We locate buried utilities first, set exclusion zones and keep digging under a permit. The owner's engineer approves the sequence.

What does a heavy industrial slab need that a warehouse floor does not?

More thickness, more reinforcement, chemical resistance in some areas and careful joint design for steel-wheeled traffic. We design from the equipment loads and the process chemicals, and we protect fresh concrete in cold weather.

Can you work on a site that is changing hands or closing?

Yes. The Coal Creek rezoning shows how owners are repurposing industrial land while keeping tipples, rail and buildings. We start with an assessment of what stays, what goes and what needs remediation, then plan demolition and new work together.

How do you keep crews safe on remote industrial yards?

We run a site orientation, assign radios or check-in procedures, watch weather forecasts and keep emergency routes clear. Remote sites get a medical response plan that names the nearest facilities and drive times.