Ames Establishes Southwest Region with Arizona Office; Extends Reach to California
Convinced that a market for Ames existed in the Southwest, John Ames pursued projects in the region in the mid-1980s that aligned with Ames’ capabilities.
In 1987, the company was awarded its first Arizona project—the construction of a 230-acre evaporation pond at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS) west of Phoenix.
Owned by Arizona Public Service, PVNGS is to this day the largest nuclear energy facility in the United States. Because it is located in the desert, with no large bodies of water nearby, PVNGS is the only nuclear energy facility in the world that uses treated sewage effluent for cooling water, which necessitates the use of evaporation ponds.
The evaporation pond project allowed Ames to showcase its capabilities, including concrete, soil cement, and pipe work. Confident that the company would be successful in Arizona, John told Butch Ames, “Phoenix is the City of Opportunity—we should open an office here.” The company opened the office in 1987, and John moved to Phoenix as the regional manager.
In 2012, Ames’ Southwest Region expanded to include California, with an office in Corona.
