Regional Industrial Growth Creates Increased Demand for Local Business’ Services
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 tmartin@co.rockingham.nc.us.
