Prescient, a Leading Colorado Construction Tech Firm, Announces Closure of Arvada Plant

Prescient, a construction-tech company specializing in manufacturing components for multi-family buildings, is set to close its Arvada factory and undergo significant workforce reductions. This decision is outlined in a letter sent by the company to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.

Sandra Espiritu-Ortega, Chief Human Resources Officer at Prescient, stated in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) letter filed on August 31 that the action to close the Arvada facility is expected to be permanent. She further clarified that upon the completion of the shutdown procedures, the company would cease its operations.

Prescient was co-founded by John Vanker and Michael Lastowski on September 1, 2012, initially operating out of a spacious garage in Broomfield, Colorado. The company leveraged cutting-edge technology, including robotic welders, to fabricate panels, trusses, and various components used in the construction of apartment buildings, hotels, senior centers, and student dormitories.

A key innovation was the integration of design software into the manufacturing process, coupled with collaboration with designers, engineers, and software programmers based in Eastern Europe to optimize cost-efficiency. The fabricated components were then assembled at construction sites, streamlining construction timelines and delivering cost savings to clients.

In the summer of 2017, Prescient moved its headquarters from Arvada to Durham, North Carolina, while the Arvada plant remained operational, still serving as the company's point of contact, as indicated in the WARN letter.

There is no confirmation from Espiritu-Ortega regarding whether the entire company is closing, but her letter suggests such a possibility.

Prescient boasts an impressive portfolio, having contributed to the construction of 90 buildings encompassing 13.2 million square feet in Colorado. Among its notable projects are Park 17, Radius Uptown Apartments, Civic Lofts, Alexan Arapahoe Square, Edison Lofts at Rino, a dormitory at Colorado Christian University, and the Hyatt House Belmar hotel.

Despite securing numerous contracts in Colorado and across the United States, Prescient has faced challenges in recent years. The company previously laid off 50 employees at its Arvada plant earlier in the year and closed its North Carolina plant the previous year. The Arvada facility, with a footprint of 388,489 square feet, is currently listed on LoopNet.

In a separate workforce reduction announcement, Broomfield-based Aktiv Pharma Group notified the state of its decision to lay off 70 workers across three of its locations in Broomfield and Fort Collins. CEO Amir Genosar cited "unexpected circumstances" as the reason behind the company's necessity to substantially shut down most of its operations. Aktiv Pharma Group specialized in auto injectors, with one of its prominent devices containing Atropine, used to counteract organophosphate poisoning, including nerve agents and poisonous mushrooms.