Founded
by Gerald ‘Jerry’ Scott, Tri-State Steel began operations in Reidsville, North
Carolina in 1988. Based on Reidsville’s central location in North Carolina, its
proximity to the Piedmont Triad, inclusion in the North Carolina Core, and the
ability to effortlessly service southern Virginia as well as North Carolina, Reidsville
felt like the ideal location for this type of venture. In 1992, Jerry welcomed
his son, Steve, to the family business and later passed the presidency reigns
onto him in 2008. Steve officially
purchased the business from his father in 2020. Steve’s vision and dedication
to his father’s motto of keeping the business focused on the people, would soon
take Tri-State Steel back to its roots and ultimately to the next level.
“Regardless
if the customer is a Fortune 100 company or a local welding shop, Tri-State
Steel is always here to give our customers what they need when they need it,”
noted Steve Scott, CEO, Tri-State Steel.
Although
Tri-State Steel’s business has steadily grown over the last 30+ years, the last
three years have been monumental. In 2020, when most of the world was forced to
shut down due to COVID, Steve and his employees braced themselves for the worst
only to find themselves on the cusp of one of the biggest expansions in their
company’s history. Despite the economic turmoil and restraints of COVID,
industrial announcements remained abundant in our region, including Rockingham
County. In 2020 alone, Rockingham County welcomed new industries such as
Purina, Farmina, and Ontex. All of these
projects require steel in their facilities in which they operate. Tri-State Steel has benefitted greatly from
the increased demand throughout our region as the economic expansion continues.
In
order to keep up with increased demand, Tri-State Steel recently invested $1.3
million to expand its current warehouse facility which not only doubles its warehouse
space but increases its efficiency to load trucks by 200% and house 160% more material
allowing inventory levels to increase. Consequently, increased material loading
and housing ability have led to five additional delivery trucks to join
rotation and hiring additional employees to manage the workload (nine employees
have been hired since 2020 for a total of 23 current employees).
Although
the warehouse expansion and new trucks are critical to grow and meet industrial
demands, Steve is constantly reminded of his father’s customer centered
approach. Until recently, the local community did not have an efficient
location to obtain Tri-State Steel's products in the smaller quantities they
may need to complete their projects whether personal or commercial. Determined
to go back to the company’s roots, the Tri-State Steel Retail Store was put
into place to allow a safe and comfortable environment for the general public
to come pick up the metal pieces they need when they need it. The retail space
celebrated its grand opening on Saturday, March 25th and official Reidsville
Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting on Wednesday, April 12th.
“Tri
State Steel’s goal is to differentiate ourselves in everything we do,” stated
Steve Scott, Tri-State Steel Products.
“We care about our people. We care about our customers. We care about
getting to the finish line with our customers.
We put their needs at the forefront of everything we do, which is why we
have invested so much time, money, and energy in creating the retail store
which allows us to go back to our roots. We look forward to having those
personal interactions with customers and assisting them in our new retail
space.”
For
more information please contact Tara Martin, Economic Development Marketing
Manager at
[email protected].