Western Fireproofing, a specialty subcontracting company which has operated in the Midwest since the 1940s, moved to an expanded office space and rebranded as WestPro Construction Solutions (westproconstruction.com) effective June 11, 2018. The company combines high-quality products with an emphasis on customer service to create the best design, execution, materials, and value solutions for their clients.
The company now operates out of a combined office/warehouse at 2850 Fairfax Trafficway, Kansas CityKS. The new building—with 6,000 square feet of office space and 100,000 square feet of warehouse storage—marks a significant expansion for WestPro, which had previously been based across 2 smaller buildings with less than a third of the warehouse space. “It was a hassle having separate buildings,” said Gary Davenport, President of WestPro Construction Solutions. “Now we can store more products and have more materials readily available.”
The company’s rebrand from Western Fireproofing to WestPro Construction Solutions also represents an expansion of their business. The company started out in Chicago in 1934, installing gypsum blocks and plaster to fireproof commercial buildings. When Western Fireproofing relocated to Kansas City and started installing roof deck systems rather than fireproofing, the name stayed the same.
Davenport and his colleagues decided to change the name to WestPro Construction Solutions in order to more accurately represent their services to potential clients. “Western Fireproofing Company locked us into fireproofing,” Davenport said. “Today’s consumers looking for a product go to the Internet. If they see Western Fireproofing and that’s not what they think they’re looking for, they move on. The name Western Fireproofing restricted us in their eyes.”
The new name and logo (pictured to the left) encompasses the full span of the company’s many construction products and services, while honoring the company’s roots. Davenport decided to keep “West” in their name to represent the company’s decades-long presence in Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska, and “Pro” is a derivative of “Proofing” from the original name. “And Construction Solutions—we’re trying to solve problems,” said Davenport.
This emphasis on solving problems and developing longstanding, meaningful relationships with their clients has been a cornerstone of WestPro Construction Solutions since the beginning. “We don’t just go out to the market, we try to develop relationships and create repeat business,” Davenport said. “The people who have used us in the past continue to use us because we make people comfortable with what we’re doing and show them the benefits of what we install. We’re able to go out and communicate with people face-to-face. People know that if they call us, we’re going to help them. If we don’t know the answer to a question, we’ll find somebody who does. But we respond to people.”
These strong customer relationships have helped solidify WestPro’s position as the dominant industry player in the Missouri/Kansas area. “We get a lot of our work through referrals and repeat business,” Davenport said. “If we do something wrong in the field we take responsibility, we go out and we fix it. And we’ve got a great reputation in the community because of that. Other players don’t have the history or reputation that we have—once we get customers lined up they come back to us because of our service.”
WestPro’s main product is insulating concrete roof deck systems, which are primarily used in buildings that the owners are going to retain for a long period of time. Their roof deck systems are permanent, which can save clients hundreds of thousands of dollars in reroofing costs. “When you decide to reroof and tear off an existing roof, you usually tear off the insulation with that and you have to replace it,” Davenport said. “With our permanent systems you only have to replace the membrane, so our reroofing costs are half 
of the cost of the competition. We’re competitively priced going in, but if you look at the whole life cycle of the building which you’re going to own for fifty years, we are going to give a great return on your money.”
WestPro is proud of their high-quality products and materials. “Nothing we do is cheap,” said Davenport. “We’re competitively priced. But our products perform better. Everything we do is quality and long-term.” The company is constantly on the lookout for new products and services to bring to their clients and maintain the highest-level reliability. “In order to grow, we need to add products. So we’re always looking for new opportunities for high-level products.”
Currently, the company services clients from Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Iowa, Nebraska, and the Dakotas—and Davenport is still looking to expand to reach even more clients. “We’re looking for new products and new opportunities, as we continue to promote the products we have,” Davenport said.
No matter how many new products they find or new clients they gain, however, WestPro is committed to offering only the best construction solutions, while maintaining their emphasis on family values and individualized customer service and communication. “We’ve got a young core of people who are intelligent, communicable, and eager to grow.”
About WestPro Construction Solutions
WestPro Construction Solutions is a specialty subcontractor serving the commercial design and construction industry. Formerly Western Fireproofing, the company sells and installs roof deck systems, engineered fill, floor underlayments, operable partitions, spray applied fireproofing and engineered timber structures. The WestPro sales team works closely with architects, engineers, and general contractors, assisting them with design and providing construction budgets. Once construction begins, Westpro’s experienced production staff and field crews provide first class service and installation. Experience their service-first business model for yourself and discover why so many of their clients trust them with project after project.
