A Colton High alumni has come home and in the process purchased an historic building at 21088 S. Highway 211 in Colton.
Once owned by the Wilcox family, the building will now be under the care of Viking LLC and house a pair of businesses when all is said and done – the Chop Shop, a hair salon owned by Geri Rose, and the Colton Garage, a mechanic shop owned by Colton High graduate David Wales, Tyler Mildren, and mechanic James Semore.
Wales graduated from Colton High School in 2000. He attended Oregon State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering management with a minor in business administration.
Following graduation in 2005, Wales accepted a job with a general contractor. In 2011 he went to work for Lanphere Construction and Development (LCD), located in Tualatin. In 2018, he and Mildren bought into the LCD and renamed the company Walen Construction LLC, using a combination of their last names. In 2022 Wales and Mildren bought out Lanphere. Walen Construction specializes in commercial construction.