Construction is continuing to progress on the 640K Sq. Ft. Aluminum Recycle Facility in Guthrie, KY. We are wrapping up the casting pit construction and recently set, what some may say, is the largest cast cylinder in the world!

Denham-Blythe Team Members celebrated our joint venture with Nissin Original Cup Noodles at the project kickoff in Piedmont, SC! The Project team is showcasing some of the products made by Nissin. They produce some of our favorite cup of noodles at this facility. The project is scheduled for completion in Spring of 2025.

Construction is underway for a new hazardous manufacturing facility for LioChem/Toyo Ink in Franklin, KY. The building will be 85,000 SF including new offices, tank farms, process mezzanines, a new electrical service, and enhanced fire suppression systems.

Denham-Blythe Company team members volunteered to assemble a portion of the 6,000+ Thanksgiving boxes as part of God’s Pantry Food Bank‘s Sharing Thanksgiving Basket Brigade on Saturday, Nov. 11. Each box included food for a family to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal at home.

We are excited to announce that Denham-Blythe has been selected for renovations and additions to God’s Pantry Food Bank headquarters at Blue Grass Business Park in Lexington, KY. Yesterday was the official groundbreaking for this exciting project that will allow God’s Pantry Food Bank to increase their ability to feed more Kentuckians in the future. The 127,232 sq. ft. renovated building will include updated office areas, expanded shipping and receiving offices, and an improved reception area. Also included in the renovations will be the installation of a freezer and cooler space, a produce cooler, and a conditioned receiving dock.

When complete, the building renovation and expansion will support more than 500 partner agencies in Central and Eastern Kentucky.

After many manhours and complex logistics, Denham-Blythe Company recently completed the excavation and concrete placement of a casting pit at the Novelis Merlin site in Guthrie, KY. The casting pit is a space in which molten aluminum is cast into large ingots. The placement of this 7’-0” thick base mat required a specialized concrete with waterproofing and anti wash-out additives in order to place the concrete in standing water that was the result of groundwater infiltration at a rate of 800 gallons per minute.

The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Airport Board has selected Denham-Blythe to construct a new 50,000-square-foot hangar for large corporate aircraft at Blue Grass Airport. The new hangar includes 30-foot-high doors and is designed to accommodate business jets in sizes up to the Gulfstream G700 and Global Express 7500/8000 platforms. This facility will have the capability to house the largest and longest-range corporate aircraft available on the market.

Construction of the new hangar is set to begin in October 2023 with anticipated completion in fall 2024. Denham-Blythe Company is a design-build construction company with over 40 years of experience in the automotive, industrial, food/pharma, healthcare, institutional, and commercial sectors. Since 1976, Denham-Blythe has completed more than 10,000 projects in the United States and Mexico for a diverse customer base including local startups and Fortune 500 companies.

In addition to the 30-foot-high doors, this hangar will include associated offices and storage spaces as well as vehicle parking. This $15.5 million project is yet another example of how Blue Grass Airport is investing in its infrastructure to serve the needs of aircraft owners.

“Blue Grass Airport is committed to advancing its private aviation facilities to meet the evolving needs of the aviation community,” said Eric Frankl, president & CEO of Blue Grass Airport. “This new hangar represents a significant step forward in that effort. The 30-foot-high doors will provide the flexibility to house a diverse fleet of aircraft, and we look forward to providing our corporate aviation partners with an exceptional facility with the utmost conveniences.”

Photo taken at TRF educational event sponsored by Denham-Blythe and held at Spy Coast Farm in Lexington, KY

Denham Blythe is happy to be a partner of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundaton (TRF) and their Second Chances program at the Blackburn Correctional Complex in Lexington, KY. Established in 1999, the TRF opened a farm at Blackburn, and shortly before the first TRF horses arrived, an old dairy barn was converted to accommodate the horses.

Today, it is one of the TRF’s largest Second Chances Farms, with about 50 horses living out their retirement years on 100 acres of prime Kentucky bluegrass at the state’s largest minimum-security prison.

The program is mutually beneficial to the offenders working in the program and the program’s thoroughbreds. The horses are well cared for and live their remaining years in a stable and nurturing environment. The offenders learn patience, a sense of empathy, trust, and responsibility, as well as valuable skills that may assist them in securing future employment.

To learn more about the TRF, follow this link: Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation 

Congratulations to Jordan Lewis, Senior Project Manager, for being named the 2023 Young Construction Engineer of the Year by the University of Kentucky College of Engineering. The award recognizes individuals that have made profound impacts on the construction industry in Kentucky early in their careers. Jordan was nominated for his leadership, safety record, and effectiveness in managing jobsites and projects with a great deal of diversity. We are so proud of his achievements at Denham-Blythe.

Steel erection of the 640,0000 SF new aluminum casting facility for Novelis is nearly half complete and work in and around the 50’-0” deep casting pit is accelerating.

Denham-Blythe Field Engineers were mentored and trained in various aspects of the job by experienced Denham-Blythe team members during training day at the Lexington headquarters. The continuing education and training helps FE’s develop and gain experience to address quality issues and provide an ultimate pathway to leadership in their construction careers.

It’s International Women In Engineering Day! The day was created as an awareness campaign across the world celebrating the work and achievements of women engineers. We wish to acknowledge our Denham-Blythe engineers for their outstanding work in the construction industry. Check out this testimonial video on why our women engineers love working in the field they are in. #INWED23 #WomenEngineers #WeAreDesignBuild

Presentations and experiments were presented to middle school and high school students from the Lexington community by Denham-Blythe employees, featuring different engineering fields as well as architecture and design. The STEM Career Day is held annually at the Denham-Blythe Lexington headquarters in hopes of encouraging students to look at all possibilities for STEM careers in the future. #FutureDesignBuild #STEM #BuildingTomorrow.

Denham-Blythe is dedicated to providing a strong safety environment for our employees. For instance:

We hold daily training and “toolbox talks” to go over the do’s and don’t of inspecting equipment for safety issues, and making sure everyone is training properly on the equipment they will be using.

According to OSHA, falls are the leading cause of death in construction. So, we follow best practices to avoid falls in the workplace by always wearing proper PPE, including safety harnesses, using 3-Points-of-Contact while climbing a ladder, avoiding overreaching by moving the ladder for better access, and staying behind safety barriers and away from edges.

Practicing good housekeeping keeps our crews safe from construction debris. Sharp objects like nails or screws on the floor, or piles of material haphazardly strewn about, can result in injuries that are easily preventable. By keeping the floors clean of debris and stacking things such as drywall neatly in a designated areas while wearing appropriate PPE, we can prevent injuries before they occur.

Breaking barriers and challenging the status quo in a male-dominated industry, Denham-Blythe Company women are an invaluable part of our continuing success, and we salute them during #WomenInConstructionWeek2023 and #WomensHistoryMonth! Check out why DB women enjoy working in construction! #wearedesignbuild

By Kaitlyn Brooks

Despite the dreary weather on Thursday morning, there was plenty to be happy about as the Asahi Forge Corporation broke ground on their third plant in Richmond.

Gathered under a tent across the street from Asahi Bluegrass Forge plant, some of Richmond’s prominent gathered, such as Mayor Robert Blythe, State Rep. Deanna Frazier and presidents from several area corporations, to be apart of the historic event.

“It’s very unique for Richmond to get an expansion like this to have three plants from the same corporation,” Richmond Industrial Development Corporation (RIDC) Executive Director David Stipe said.

Asahi Forge Corporation first broke ground in the Richmond area in 2002 when the corporation asked to lease 18 acres of land from Richmond Auto Parts Technology (RAPT). A year later, the company held a ground-breaking ceremony for Asahi Forge of America (AFA) Corporation.

Since their opening, AFA has expanded twice and now boasts 75 associates.

“In March 2016, Asahi Forge of America Corporation purchased the land they had leased from RAPT, plus a little more. Today, they now own, according to my records, (19.8) acres in park number two,” said Jimmy Howard, member of the RIDC board and former Richmond city manager.

Howard was approached by Kiki Creech, accounting manager for AFA, who said she and another associate would like to meet. During the meeting, Howard said he was pleasantly surprised to learn that AFA was interested in building a second plant in industrial park three.

In April of 2011, Asahi Bluegrass Forge (ABF) broke ground for a second time after fair and reasonable negotiations for 22 acres of land, according to Howard.

After the opening of ABF in 2012, it has seen one expansion and has 75 associates.

Howard thanked Creech for her assistance during the project, as her help was invaluable every step of the way.

In 2018, Stipes announced to the RIDC that Asahi was going to purchase land for a third manufacturing plant.

“Today is a very important day for the city of Richmond. Ground is about to be broken for a third plant,” Howard said. “Perhaps there is another city in Kentucky that’s had the good fortune of having a company to build three plants in their industrial park but I can’t name that city, I don’t believe they exist. We are very fortunate.”

Creech spoke to the audience in attendance at the groundbreaking as well, and noted that the new plant was apart of a three columned business plan, the first being hub production which is already established with ABF and AFA, the second being the groundbreaking location and third that will work on suspension products.

“As I mentioned, this is the second business column for Asahi Forge. This means we’re not done yet,” she said.

Creech said the corporation plans to hire 80 people and hopes to have $50 million in annual sales by 2023. The total capital investment for this project will be $40 million. The company that has been contracted to build the plant is Denham-Blythe, which also was contracted for the Okonite Company. Asahi hopes to see the completion of the new plant by May 2020.

Hiroshi Asahi, president of Asahi Forge Corporation, said he likes Richmond and that it has very kind people, one of the reasons why his company chose to build here again. He also noted that having all of his corporations in one spot made it easier to control operations, especially when looking towards the future of the company.

For more information about the Asahi Forge Corporation, visit https://www.asahiforge.co.jp/en.

The Denham-Blythe Tennessee office hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony and grand opening reception to celebrate the completion of the new office building on August 17, 2018.

Family, friends, clients, and partners came out to tour the new space while enjoying drinks and refreshments. The office features a modern industrial aesthetic that includes exposed steel, polished concrete, and exterior aluminum panels.

As Denham-Blythe continues to grow, the new space will enable the company to further advance its service capabilities for current and future clients. This move marks a huge milestone for the company, and specifically for Denham-Blythe’s Tennessee Operations President, Vance Hohn, who spearheaded the founding of the Nashville office in 1999.

“It is such a blessing to have a nice building that we call our work place,” said Vance. “We are proud of our new home that is not only for us, but also for the future employees of Denham-Blythe.”

Thank you to all who came to out to celebrate the Goodlettsville office grand opening! Denham-Blythe is grateful for your support and looks forward to opportunities ahead as the Tennessee team begins a new chapter.