Royal has been awarded the Northwest Region Concrete Design Award from the Wisconsin Ready Mixed Concrete Association. The Concrete Design Awards ceremony was held March 2, 2023 in Appleton. Royal received this award for the colorful parking lot design of their Downtown Eau Claire office that opened in May of 2022.
“We considered many options when planning the parking lot with Market and Johnson,” Brian Allande, Facilities Manager at Royal says. “We ultimately decided to go with a concrete parking lot because the material allowed us to be more creative in the design and would be more durable compared to other materials such as asphalt.”
Royal anticipated their Downtown Eau Claire office to have high traffic. Selecting a long-lasting material was important since Royal anticipated their Downtown Eau Claire office would have heavy traffic. Additionally, concrete was appealing to highlight an urban theme in downtown Eau Claire. Royal worked with Market and Johnson to design a pattern of multi-color slabs of concrete and created a directional flow in the parking lot. The colored slabs also presented an opportunity for a unique tribute to Royal’s origin.
“Royal was started in 1964 by employees of Uniroyal Tire Company,” says Brandon Riechers, President and CEO of Royal. “We were excited to utilize a multi-color design to emulate the look of tire tread as a tribute to our Uniroyal roots.”
Royal’s Downtown Eau Claire office also showcases a unique exterior sculpture created by local artist, Dan Ingersoll, that offers a visual representation of Royal's past, present, and future. There is also a Royal Credit Union history exhibit inside the office to display artifacts from Royal's early days and share information about how the credit union was started to serve former Uniroyal tire plant employees and their families.
