About Us
Elward Systems Corporation is one of the largest pre-fabricated wall panel suppliers in North America. Our primary focus is the production of aluminum composite panels (ACM) including all aspects of the process that makes us successful. This consists of architectural sales, value engineering/ budget assistance, research & development, testing, shop drawings, project management, technical support, and finding innovative solutions. With an extensive previous background as a curtain wall and metal panel subcontractor, our staff is more than aware of job-site issues that extend far beyond the typical out the door mentality. Customer service and satisfaction is, and always has been, our top priority.
Research and development plays a crucial role in ESC's product line be it in the use of automated machinery, cutting edge software, and testing capabilities. We have a three story, on-site, certified test chamber (including the airplane engine), that facilitates getting new product on the market. Besides the development of ACM, we have used the same determination in getting a new product for us, Trespa, to the marketplace. Trespa is a high-pressure wood fiber laminate, made in Europe, with unique finishes and applications.
The Elward Organization has been evolving and adapting for more than 50 years (see history). Our centralized location in Denver gives us convenient access to our Pacific, Mountain, and Midwest customers.
Whether its new construction, renovation/retrofit, large application or small, our team has the answers and solutions to your needs.
History
It all began in 1952 when our founder, Mel Elward, moved from Detroit to Denver as a building materials sales rep. Within a few years he started his own independent company and in 1960 created Elward Construction Company, a subcontractor with field installation crews. The company specialized in metal wall panels and steel decking. We put the walls on most of the power plants in Colorado and metal floor decking on the majority of the high-rises in downtown Denver. Our major supplier of steel products back then was H. H. Robertson, now called Centria. Over the next couple decades we added curtain wall systems and unitized granite walls, and we opened branch offices in Phoenix, Dallas, and San Francisco. By the start of this century, Elward Construction had become the largest curtain wall/metal panel subcontractor in the region.
Our involvement with aluminum composite panels began in 1977, when Mel attended a trade show in Phoenix and came upon the Alucobond® booth. Fascinated by the material and encouraged by its building applications in Europe, we ventured into fabrication for the first time. The Elward and Alucobond® staff worked together to address how this new and unique type of wall material could fit into the rigid national and regional building codes, still an ongoing process.
Responding to the architectural community's desire for a clean panel installation, Ev Mitchell (former vice president) developed our own "dry" joint design. The basic concept is still used in our standard Secondary Guttered System and has been utilized on hundreds of projects over 30 years.
In 1991 the current Elward Systems Corporation was formed as a separate fabrication entity supplying panels for not only its parent company but for other subcontractors around the Western half of the US. Beginning in 2004, we started the process of closing down our subcontracting operations to solely concentrate on being a fabricated panel supplier. Finally, in the last couple years, we have added the high-pressure laminate Trespa to our assortment of wall systems.