After one and a half years of work, Midwestern Pipeline Services, Inc. announced today that they will be expanding to Cheyenne. The company looked across Wyoming and elsewhere in the inter-mountain west for its new location and nothing really fit as well as Cheyenne. But a Cheyenne location was not possible until the Granite Peak committed to an industrial development on the Swan Ranch just south of Cheyenne. This site ultimately became Midwestern’s site of choice with adjacent the rail and the proximity of the two interstates.
Midwestern Pipeline Services would not be expanding here if it were not for the planned Swan Ranch development. The Swan includes 7,200 acres along Interstates 25 and 80 and Granite Peak Development is developing a 500-acre industrial park within the Swan. A Union Pacific Railroad line borders the park to the west and a BNSF Railway line borders the facility to the south and east. The park will include a transloading facility that will be operated by the Bighorn Divide & Wyoming Railroad, which currently operates three short-line yards in Wyoming. One county road has been constructed with additional road and infrastructure construction to start in April. The development will be accessed by the new High Plains interchange that is under construction on I-25, north of the Terry Ranch Road exit.
This didn’t come easy. LEADS worked directly with BNSF to get rail access for Midwestern Pipeline Services. “After two years of talking to over 20 companies who decided not to come to Cheyenne because of the lack of rail access, BNSF really came through on this project,” stated Scott Sutherland, Vice President of Cheyenne LEADS. BNSF is investing in the rail and a portion of the line and switch for Swan Ranch. They will also be providing the switching, which is a major component.
With agreements to access rail in place Midwestern Pipeline Services is ready to expand here pending approval of a Wyoming Business Council infrastructure grant. Construction on 55 acres of the park will begin during the summer of 2010. The company will hire 35-50 manufacturing positions. If all goes well with this first phase, the long-term goal is to relocate facilities in California and headquarters to Cheyenne as well.
“The rail component of this development will give Laramie County the ability to compete for a variety of companies that previously would not look at the Cheyenne area. Manufacturing and transportation dependent companies will see a competitive advantage to a Cheyenne location with access to both rail and I-80 and I-25. This is undoubtedly the first of many companies that will ultimately locate in the Swan industrial development,” according to Randy Bruns, CEO of Cheyenne LEADS.
Midwestern Pipeline Services has been in business since the 1950’s and has been under current ownership since 1992. Midwestern Pipeline Services specializes in the double joint welding of steel pipe, application of anti-corrosion coatings to both the internal and external surfaces of steel pipe and other services for the oil and gas industry. Midwestern Pipeline Services currently operates double joint welding racks at Berg Steel in Panama City, Florida, Dura-Bond Pipe in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Shaw Pipe Protection in Pearland, Texas, Welspun Pipe in Little Rock, Arkansas and Bayou Pipe Coating in New Iberia, Louisiana. Midwestern Pipeline Services operated and managed the double joint welding rack, external pipe coating plant and internal coating plant at Napa Pipe in Napa, California until its closure in 1995.
Cheyenne LEADS is a member-supported private non-profit corporation devoted to bringing jobs and economic opportunity to Laramie County. LEADS serves as the Economic Development entity for the City of Cheyenne and for Laramie County, Wyoming.