Now 20 employees,
Prescient is on track to grow to 60 by the end of 2013, says CEO and Co-Founder John Vanker. "We're hiring four or five more immediately, and then we'll go from there," he says.
Before launching Prescient in 2012, Vanker had more than 20 years of experience developing and building urban infill projects in Denver and Chicago. "My partner [Michael Lastowski] and I started to play around with the idea of standardization -- standardization of assembly and standardization of design," he says.
The resulting system allows architects to use Prescient's software to design a virtual version of the structure before any real-world work moves forward. Prescient then manufactures the steel framing components necessary to build the structure at its 60,000-square-foot factory near the Denver-Commerce City border with the help of cutting-edge welding robots.
As lumber has doubled in price in the last year, steel framing is an increasingly attractive method of construction. "We know exactly what parts and pieces we need to manufacture, and very early in the design process," says Vanker. "That's not possible with wood." The virtual design saves "a lot of time and money downstream by avoiding conflicts in the field," he adds.
On the first two projects -- both apartment complexes in Denver -- Prescient is acting as the engineer, but future projects will be turnkey, says Vanker.
Primary targets include apartments, dormitories and hotels. The company was funded in a private-equity deal in September 2012 and looks to roll the product out to the broader market at the American Institute of Architects National Convention in Denver June 20-22. "The software is designed to facilitate architects," says Vanker.
The Prescient plan calls for "cloning" the Denver plant in four more cities by 2016.
Contact Confluence Denver Innovation & Jobs News Editor Eric Peterson with tips and leads for future stories at eric@confluence-denver.com.
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