steel_warehouse_chooses_chattanooga
Manufacturers have announced over 2,400 jobs since Tell the World! launch
Steel Warehouse, an integrated steel service center headquartered in South Bend, Indiana, has chosen Chattanooga as the location to build a new Temper Mill Cut-To-Length Line. The project, which will take the form of an expansion of Steel Warehouse’s Chattanooga-based sister company LJT Tennessee, consists of a $7.25 million investment that will create 50 new jobs by 2008. When completed, the facility will contain one of the largest Temper Mill lines in the world with the capacity to handle 3/4" thick steel in widths up to 100 inches. According to Dave Lerman, chairman and CEO of Steel Warehouse and LJT Tennessee, Chattanooga competed with locations in Mississippi and Alabama to win the project. He said the deciding factor was Chattanooga’s excellent track-record in handling two previous projects for LJT. In particular, Lerman cited the efforts of the Chattanooga Chamber’s Existing Business Director Steve Hiatt and the responsiveness of Hamilton County and City of Chattanooga officials. |
"Alabama and Mississippi offered aggressive incentives packages," Lerman said, "but we value the relationship we’ve built with this community through the efforts of the Chattanooga Chamber and the active support of Mayor Ramsey and Mayor Littlefield. Our operations have thrived in Chattanooga. You can’t put a price tag on the whole-hearted support of this community."
According to Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey, the Steel Warehouse project represents the kind of investment that builds momentum in Chattanooga’s regional economy. "This is the third time this company has announced expansion and job creation plans since 2002," Ramsey said. "These jobs pay the kind of wages that sustain a family. I thank Steel Warehouse and LJT for their continued investment in Hamilton County."
Chattanooga Mayor Ron Littlefield noted that Steel Warehouse is one of a growing number of manufacturing operations that has started up or expanded in Chattanooga in recent years. "As our economy has transitioned over the last few decades, we’ve seen a decrease in manufacturing jobs, but Steel Warehouse is one of a growing number of companies that is helping us turn that trend around," Littlefield said. "Manufacturing will continue to be a cornerstone of the Chattanooga area economy. Steel Warehouse proves that we can continue to compete for and win manufacturing projects."
According to Trevor Hamilton, chief economic development officer for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, the Steel Warehouse project has additional significance because it will increase the flow of commerce through Hamilton County.
"Because Steel Warehouse’s Temper Mill Cut-To-Length Line will have such tremendous capacity, we expect LJT’s shipment of finished steel to increase by 100,000 tons annually," Hamilton said. "This kind of operation has the potential to enhance our recruitment efforts in attracting additional companies."
Hamilton also described the project as a milestone in the effort to create manufacturing jobs. "With this announcement, Steel Warehouse and LJT Tennessee become the 41st manufacturer to announce growth plans totaling 2,438 new manufacturing jobs since Tell the World! began in July 2003," Hamilton said. "Tell the World! has also helped three manufacturers keep 790 jobs in our hometown. Those numbers show the power of consistent economic development efforts over time."
"When you have good companies like Steel Warehouse, good leadership, good partnerships and a good business climate like we've got in Tennessee, you've got a great recipe for success," said Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matthew Kisber. "Steel Warehouse has made a great choice in Chattanooga, and I believe both the community and company will benefit from this exciting new partnership, which will create quality jobs for Tennessee workers."
LJT Tennessee is a manufacturer of steel tubing. The company purchased the former Huntco Steel facility located at Centre South Riverport in 2002. In 2005, the company announced plans to invest $7.38 million in an expansion that would create 42 jobs within three years. LJT Tennessee currently has 66 employees.
Steel Warehouse is an integrated steel service center providing numerous processing services for the delivery of production-ready steel to metal stampers, formers, fabricators and manufacturers. The company services a variety of industries including automotive, agriculture, appliance, truck/trailer and construction equipment.
Steel Warehouse is a family owned and managed company headquartered in South Bend, IN. It operates a central plant and six branch facilities that service customers in over 30 states and that employ more than 600 people. It also has entered into a number of cooperative ventures with other firms.
Steel Warehouse is one of several steel processing and metal forming companies organized into a privately owned, industrial network known as Lerman Enterprises.
Posted March 2, 2005
The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce is the leading business and economic development organization for the Chattanooga region. For over 100 years, the Chattanooga Chamber has provided community engagement and opportunities for businesses, large and small, including networking, business promotion, business discounts, and public policy advocacy, as well as leadership development and training opportunities.
In addition, the Chattanooga Chamber is a one-stop-shop for site selectors and business decision-makers considering investments and job creation projects in the Chattanooga region. The Chattanooga Chamber is also responsible for marketing Enterprise South Industrial Park, a top-tier industrial park that offers significant strategic business advantages. In addition, the Chattanooga Chamber administers the Chattanooga Hamilton County Business Development Center, the largest business incubator in the U.S. in terms of the number of start up companies it houses, and the Center for Entrepreneurial Growth, an innovative effort to nurture technology-based start-up companies.
As the first stop for people interested in moving to the Chattanooga, the Chattanooga Chamber provides a range of relocation information including demographics, informational videos, connections to Chattanooga Area jobs, and frequently asked questions.
