Local officials and the Randolph County Economic Development Authority on Friday announced plans to expand SteelFab, Inc.’s plant in East Alabama.
SteelFab was founded in 1955 and is headquartered in Charlotte, NC. The company opened a fabrication facility in Roanoke, Alabama, in 1997; this Randolph County facility is one of seven SteelFab plants nationwide.
The Yellowhammer State plant currently has 175 employees. The steel from the facility has reportedly helped build several high-profile facilities across the United States, such as the Georgia Aquarium and the Daytona International Speed Way Grand Stands; many other high rise buildings, hospitals, power plants, gymnasiums and arenas have reportedly used the made-in-Alabama structural steel.
Friday’s announcement detailed that the Roanoke facility was chosen for an expansion over sites in South Carolina and Virginia.
A release detailed that the project includes expanding its Heavy Fab building by 40,000 square feet, adding a roof to an existing crane way, adding 11,000 square feet to an existing paint bay, adding 1,500 square feet to the existing break room, expanding the laydown yard by 10 acres, and purchasing new machinery and equipment.
SteelFab Roanoke plant manager Joey Whaley said in a statement, “This project will bring in revenue to Randolph County, the City of Roanoke, and create jobs for people in this area. It will be a win-win for everyone. The expansion will allow our plant to produce more volume and help manufacture heavier type of work. I am very thankful for this opportunity to grow and expand. SteelFab is a very loyal company that wants to see its people succeed. I began working as a machine operator over 20 years ago and worked my way up to becoming plant manager. I have no doubt that the hard-working people of this plant were one of the major deciding factors of us being chosen for the expansion.”
The expansion is expected to create 32 additional full-time jobs over a two-year span, with an hourly wage of $17.50 to go along with health, dental and vision insurance plus paid time off and a profit sharing bonus. The anticipated completion date of the expansion is June 2021.
Roanoke Mayor Jill Hicks, the Randolph County Commission, State Rep. Bob Fincher (R-Woodland), State Sen. Randy Price (R-Opelika) and Randolph County Economic Development Authority executive director Bryant Whaley jointly made the announcement on Friday.
Hicks stated, “Roanoke needs jobs, and we are so fortunate to have SteelFab bringing in jobs during this time of economic uncertainty. We are so excited, and I have no doubt this opportunity will improve the quality of life for many of our citizens. SteelFab is truly appreciated as it gives bountiful to Roanoke.”
“SteelFab has been a staple industry in Roanoke and in Randolph County for 24 years. This expansion has been in the works for over a year. This marks the second existing industry expansion in Randolph in 2020. This expansion proves that Randolph County is not only a great place to live and raise a family, but it is becoming a place people want to work,” added Bryant Whaley.
Congressman Mike Rogers (AL-03) in a tweet celebrated the expansion as “great news.”
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
