Build Magazine May 2016

Build Magazine 7 Metallic Building Company (Metallic), a leading custom-engineered metal building systems manufacturer, is proud to announce Medford, Oregon–based J.B. Steel, Inc., as our 2015 Builder of the Year award winner. An Authorized Metallic Builder since 1997, J.B. Steel, Inc., has a solid reputation for innovation and creativity, providing metal building solutions for its customers in the U.S. West Coast region. This award was presented during the Metallic Building Company’s annual National Sales Meeting on March 4, 2016, at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort in Amelia Island, Florida. “Andy Batzer and his team do very impressive and innovative work in the pre-engineered metal building construction industry, exemplifying what a Metallic Builder of the Year represents: ingenuity, creativity, collaboration and a spirit of community,” said Metallic President Tom Boal. “The key to success for me has been paved by the creativity and design abilities of the people around me, so this award really is the culmination of a team effort,” said Andy Batzer, owner of J.B. Steel, Inc. Working alongside Batzer is a team comprised of a creative and hardworking family and staff. Brothers Russ and Bill Batzer, and Andy’s daughter, Tara Fisher, are key to the overall management of the company. The in-house design team consists of two licensed architects, Gary Caperna and Bruce Anderson, both members of the AIA. Mike Thibeault, Larry Rux, and John Williams lead the shop and field staff with combined experience of more than 100 years. Holmen Invests in a Wood Treatment Plant at Braviken Sawmill Holmen is investing in a pressure treatment plant and a distribution warehouse at Braviken Sawmill outside Norrköping, with the invest- ment estimated to amount to SEK 50 million. Opened in 2011, Braviken Sawmill now manufactures sawn and planed wood products in spruce and pine. Over the years, the mill has expanded in size and gained a new warehouse for its finished products. Having started out only sawing spruce, in summer 2015 a strategic investment began with a view to broadening production to include pine joinery timber, as well as enabling the manufacture of decking and joists for outdoor purposes. “In autumn 2015, Braviken Sawmill began sawing both spruce and pine. We want to offer our customers a broader range and the wood treatment plant is a natural next step. The plant will be highly automated, with scope for further development in the future,” says Johan Padel, CEO of Holmen Timber. Making up a large part of what builders’ merchants sell in Sweden, treated wood is used for projects such as terraces, jetties and fencing. Pressure treatment gives the wood a longer life and minimises the risk of attack from wood- decaying fungi and insects. “Demand for treated wood products is growing and with Braviken’s central location in a densely populated region, we have excellent opportunities to reach out to builders’ merchants with our expanded product range. The wood treatment plant is scheduled to be up and running from winter 2016/2017, so we expect to be able to deliver decking for next summer’s construction and DIY projects,” relates Henrik Sjölund, President and CEO of Holmen. Holmen’s bio co-location in Braviken makes full use of the whole tree. Wood chips from the sawmill serve as a raw material in pulp production and by-products such as bark and wood shavings are used as biofuel to produce energy and district heating. The circle is closed when the surplus heat from the paper mill is used in the drying process at the sawmill. Holmen is a forest industry group that manufactures consumer board, paper and wood products and runs forestry and energy production operations. In 2015 Holmen’s net sales were SEK 16 billion and the group has approx. 3,300 employees. The firm’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, Large Cap. Together, they have been involved in numerous metal building projects that, in Batzer’s words, “really push the limits of what a metal building can do.” Case in point is the Ochoco Hangar at Hillsboro Airport in Hillsboro, Oregon. The project required Batzer and his team to come up with creative solutions to complicated design-build challenges that ultimately resulted in the successful completion of the building. In addition to delivering a number of successful, high-complexity metal building projects for his clients, Batzer and his team are integral members of their Southern Oregon community. Batzer is personally involved with the Rotary Club of Medford, through which he has participated in the installations of nearly 20 playgrounds at local area schools and parks; Kid Time!, a nonprofit children’s museum; and Kids Unlimited, a provider of youth and community development services to the underprivileged. The Builder of the Year Award is presented annually to an Authorized Metallic Builder to recognize their consistent contributions to the pre-engineered metal building construction industry and their local community, and the builder’s innovative use of metal building materials. J.B. Steel, Inc. has previously earned Metallic excellence and merit awards and a spot in the Metallic M-Team (top 25 builders in the nation) on numerous occasions. Metallic Building Company Recognises J.B. Steel, Inc., with 2015 Builder of the Year Award