Growing Bairco expands to new facility

A successful and growing Lovell company is expanding with the construction of a new facility just west of town.Bairco Construction, a specialty civil construction company founded by Devin and Stacy Bair, has operated out of the former Pacific Power/Rocky Mountain Power office and yard in Lovell for seven years but has outgrown the facility, co-owner Stacy Bair and project manager Charlie Cooley said Tuesday.[caption id="attachment_10422" align="alignright" width="199"] A need to expand has led Bairco Construction to construct this new building just west of Lovell near the Oasis Junction. The project should be finished early next year.
David Peck photo[/caption]Alan Bair purchased the building several years ago after the power company closed its offices and later sold the facility to his son and daughter-in-law.The current building and yard isn’t large enough to store all of the company’s equipment, Bair said, noting that the new location two miles west of Lovell on the east end of the Cannery Road has 17 acres so Bairco will be able to consolidate the office, maintenance and storage facilities.“We’ve outgrown our office space,” Bair said, adding that the company hires around 35 employees during the busy season.Bairco has sold the current office and yard to Big Horn County Fire District No. 1 and will move in early 2016 to the new facility formerly owned by LD Anderson Trucking and then Warren Transport, most recently owned by real estate investor Joseph Caddel of Montana.With the purchase Bairco gets the 17 acres of land, 1,300 square feet of office space and 9,535 square feet of warehouse space. Bairco is currently constructing a 4,600-square foot office addition, which is being added to the current office and warehouse facility, plus a new 8,400-square foot cold storage building for equipment.Bairco is acting as the project general contractor, and John Schneider is in charge of quality control and subcontractor management.Bair and Cooley said the new facility is badly needed.“We’re in a position now where we need to hire additional office personnel, but we’re limited by the office space we have,” Bair said, “which limits our growth potential.”“We have a limited area for equipment storage and to work on equipment maintenance,” Cooley added. “The new acreage will allow more material storage and better access and delivery of material and construction equipment. It’s a never-ending battle to get semis pulled in here and unloaded.”Bairco Construction has built a reputation over the years for tackling difficult projects, performing projects for federal, state and private customers in the Rocky Mountain West. The company was named the 2011 Wyoming Small Business of the Year by the Small Business Administration.[caption id="attachment_10423" align="alignright" width="285"] A dazzling new interior is being constructed at the new Bairco Construction building on the east end of the Cannery Road two miles west of Lovell.
David Peck photo[/caption]Recent projects have included fish barriers for re-establishing native fish populations, missile silo demolition and maintenance for the U.S. Air Force, campground restoration projects, National Park Service utility projects, site work for the Microsoft Data Center in Cheyenne, building demolition including hazardous waste disposal and a current infrastructure project for an arts center near Absarokee, Mont.Bairco also works as a general contractor for various projects.

By David Peck