The Observer staff has been working remotely since the start of the pandemic. Now a company that’s developed a better way to reinforce concrete is renting its west-side office.
Close to one billion square feet of concrete slabs for customers that range from Amazon to Rivian have been poured using Helix’s “micro rebar,” small steel twists that improve the composite’s structure. But its first customers were companies that made septic tanks and burial vaults.
“It’s not the sexy stuff, it’s the run-of-the-mill stuff,” says Luke Pinkerton, Helix Steel’s president and CEO. “You want that thing to last a long time. You don’t want that to crack.”
Helix Steel CEO Luke Pinkerton (center) with Observer publisher Patricia Garcia and editor John Hilton. Helix will move into part of the magazine’s largely vacant offices this month. | Photo: Mark Bialek
Micro rebar grew out of a U-M patent. As a grad student in a structural engineering lab, Pinkerton studied possible uses for it–one early idea was that it might create a more blast-resistant concrete.
That didn’t work out, but Pinkerton still believed there was a market for the steel pieces. After graduation he licensed the patent from the university, founding Helix in 2002.
A brittle substance on its own, concrete will snap when bent if not for the inclusion of metal. Helix’s mix-in distributes that metal throughout a concrete pour, giving it more flexibility than traditional rebar. Pinkerton says businesses that use his product still use traditional rebar around door frames, windows, and corners where more reinforcement is necessary, but he hopes one day to have micro rebar concrete that can stand on its own.
Their use saves time during the construction process and gives concrete more flexibility. Pinkerton says it is also more environmentally friendly than traditional building methods.
“It gives us a better product more quickly and more cost-effectively,” says Kevin Hegg, a vice president of Ashley Capital. He says using Pinkerton’s micro rebar when Ashley Capital pours warehouse floors turns a two-step process into one. “Basic items like the floor are critical; it’s the first step in getting a quality building.”
Tom McCurry, the vice president of concrete operations with Doan Concrete in Ypsilanti, says the three-quarter inch product is “stand-alone, from a quality standpoint.
“It’s easy to work with; the workability is fantastic,” McCurry says. “It definitely is a growing market.”
Helix Steel has about 250 full-time employees, most working over three shifts at a Grand Rapids manufacturing plant. Pinkerton says the front-office staff has outgrown its current space on Washtenaw Ave. in Ann Arbor, and, even as many offices are largely empty, he’s “a little old school” in wanting a space where everyone can work. He’s added two people to his headquarters staff this year and expects to keep growing.
“There’s just an energy you have when you’re together; it’s just electric,” he says. “I don’t expect everyone to be there every day, but I want everyone to have their own space.”
Helix will move into the 1947 concrete-block building facing Winewood Ave. in October. The Observer will remain in the metal “Butler Building” behind it for now, but Helix expects to expand into more of the space in future years. Elmo’s T-Shirts will remain in a warehouse area that faces S. Maple Rd.
Originally a motorcycle shop, the Winewood building has also housed companies that made trading-stamp gifts and hockey helmets and a specialized map store, according to a 2013 Observer article. Helix Steel will pay $20 a square foot for the space.
Pinkerton says he chose the Observer office because it gives him room to grow—the company continues to look for ways to innovate, and he has patents in the works—and because he wanted to have his team in an interesting workspace.
“Character is important in ways I can’t really tell you. It feeds the soul,” he says. “You want to provide a great place to work, a place where people can celebrate things after work. You’ve got to have the whole package now.”
