After seven years of planning, investment, and market research, Alaska Precast Solutions is gearing up to manufacture prestressed concrete panels in Alaska.

Manufacturing Alaska’s Future

New pre-stressed concrete slab maker helps companies capitalize on quick assembly

By David A. James

ollow core planks—prestressed concrete slabs produced in manufacturing facilities—have a long history in Europe and in recent decades have become common in the Lower 48. Builders use the planks, which weigh less than poured concrete, to quickly assemble floors and walls. They can be fit together easily on site, speeding construction and lowering costs while providing superior soundproofing and fire ratings.

Yet their adoption in Alaska has been limited by a major obstacle: availability. With no in-state manufacturer, builders have faced significant shipping costs that make construction using hollowcore planks impractical.

That’s about to change.

Alaska Precast Solutions is launching the state’s first prestressed, precast hollowcore manufacturing facility in Nikiski, with operations set to begin in May 2026. This milestone will provide Alaska’s architectural, engineering, and construction fields direct access to high-quality precast concrete products, reducing transportation costs and accelerating project timelines.

“We’re building this facility to transform the market,” says Tracy Argo, Chief Operating Officer of Alaska Precast Solutions. “Right now, builders are limited to slab-on-grade, slab-on-metal/composite deck, or engineered wood floor systems. Hollowcore planks and panels will provide a stronger, more efficient alternative.”

Alaska Precast Solutions is the latest addition to the Remote Alaska Solutions (RAS) family of companies, which has been operating in Alaska for fourteen years. RAS has been an Associated General Contractors of Alaska member since 2017. Chief Operating Officer Tracy Argo and Executive Vice President Kevin Clark oversee its operations.

“We’re positioning to be Alaska’s first PCI-certified producer and erector. That’s the gold standard,” says Clark, referring to the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, or (PCI), a leading technical institute and trade association for the industry.

Precast hollowcore planks and panels offer significant advantages, he explains. “By manufacturing in a controlled environment, we can produce all floor elements in advance, ready for immediate installation. This accelerates project schedules while ensuring quality.”

Alaska Precast Solutions will launch with a range of hollowcore and solid planks, insulated planks and panels, and as well as beams, columns, and piles—all engineered for efficiency and durability. “Together, these elements create a precast podium, allowing structural engineers to integrate prestressed concrete into multiple building systems,” Clark says.

Argo notes that the company has been in development for seven years and that it plans to use its own ready-mix concrete to build the 54,000-square-foot Nikiski-based facility. “Building in-house eliminates potential scheduling risks with outside service providers for the project’s critical pour schedule,” Clark says.

Even as the company is building the plan, it is the plant is being built, the company is fast-tracking PCI certification. “We’ll have 95 percent of our certification paperwork completed before production starts,” Clark explains. “Three months in, we’ll undergo a rigorous quality control process, and by then, we’ll already be rounding third base toward PCI certification.”

A stack of hollowcore panels, one of the several products Alaska Precast Solutions plans to build at its Nikiski plant.

David Stierwalt, Alaska office manager for engineering and surveying firm Reid Middleton, has worked with Remote Alaska Solutions and has high expectations for Alaska Precast Solutions.

“RAS is dedicated to bringing these new materials and techniques from the Outside to Alaska. RAS is flexible and collaborative, always willing to evaluate a new approach to the project or situation to increase the performance or value of a material,” he says. “I expect all the same initiative in the APS facility and look forward to using their precast materials once they are up and running.”

After years of planning, investment, and market research, Clark says Alaska Precast Solutions is ready to make a lasting impact on the industry.

“This has been a seven-year journey of vetting the market, refining our approach, and ensuring we have the right foundation in place,” he says. “Now, we’re bringing a game-changing prestressed precast facility to Alaska—one that will set new standards for efficiency, quality, and innovation in construction across the state.”