Originally published on BusinessDen: Startup that turns tires into highway barriers finds new home after lengthy search
Original Story By: Matt Geiger
News Recap: Pretred lands a new Aurora facility after a long search for the right space
If you have been to Ball Arena, you have probably seen Pretred’s work without realizing it. Pretred manufactures rubber barriers made from waste tires, designed to serve as a direct substitute for traditional concrete barriers in roadway and commercial settings.
Until now, one of Pretred’s biggest constraints has been tire processing capacity. Without the space and equipment to shred tires in-house, the company has had to bring in shredded material, which adds cost and complicates the sustainability narrative.
That is changing. After receiving an $11.2 million state grant to acquire tire shredding equipment, Pretred has secured a new 150,000-square-foot facility in Aurora, roughly tripling its current footprint. Leadership expects the shift to reduce costs and reshape how the business operates as it scales.
The company’s barrier product has been years in the making, and Pretred began selling it last year. With a larger site and new equipment on the way, Pretred expects significant growth compared to last year’s volumes.
Finding the right space was not simple. Tire processing can make landlords hesitant, and Pretred needed unusually high electrical capacity to support its equipment. After months of searching, an earlier option in Brighton fell through when another buyer purchased the building, sending the team back to the market.
Pretred ultimately found a workable alternative in Denali Logistics Park in Aurora, near where the company already operates. The facility is a warehouse shell that will require buildout work over the next several months, with a planned move-in next spring.
Over the coming years, Pretred expects to grow its team and expand the types of tires it can process, starting with passenger tires and later adding larger industrial tires. The long-term vision supports more diversion of tires from disposal, and a circular model where damaged barriers can be processed back into crumb rubber and remade into new product.
For the full story and quotes, read the original BusinessDen article here: https://businessden.com/2025/10/28/startup-that-turns-tires-into-highway-barriers-finds-new-home-after-lengthy-search/