Men and Women of Steel
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Eric Fletty and I recently discovered that the town of Logan, Ohio, USA, is home to "men and women of steel"—Seneca Steel Erectors Inc. (that is), an Industrial maintenance company.
Although there were no capes for flying, x-ray vision, or kryptonite, I did hear and see some incredible signs of super hero activities that have gone on for the past 26 years. Well, maybe not super heroes—just some hardworking, reputable professionals I want to tell you about; the very type of people who are TAPPI Sustaining Members.
I was first introduced to this company when Greg Campbell, VP of Seneca, paid us a visit at TAPPI World Headquarters in Peachtree Corners, Ga. He came to seek our council on how he could expand their business in the pulp and paper industry. We suggested that he attend PaperCon2013 to get a feel for our reach in the industry. He must have liked what he saw because this year Seneca Steel Erectors had space on the exhibit floor at PaperCon2014.
Greg is an outgoing person being prepped to take over the business his dad, Dale Campbell, started with just a small pickup (photo on right below) and a Miller Welder (photo on left below) back in 1988. The company has been owned by Dale and Kathie Campbell since its conception.
Since 1988, Seneca Steel Erectors’ metamorphosis has allowed it to become more valuable to the point of not only a stoker specialist company, but also a leading mechanical, structural, fabrication, and rigging specialist for many industries throughout the U.S.
Kathie Campbell is very proud of the company’s employees. "Our mobile work crews are highly skilled and know how to get the job done safely and efficiently. We often finish the job ahead of schedule and are able to ensure the quality of our work," she says.
Dale currently has more than 100 employees. That number is flexible depending on the number of projects they have going at any one time. Current history has the number from a low of 60 to a high of 120 trained professionals. All of Seneca’s contractors and employees must be compliant with TAPPISAFE. This is just one of the ways Seneca Steel Erectors looks out for its team members. Dale emphasizes that "I want to treat our folks like I want to be treated. They know that we expect them to do their jobs, and we want them to be happy."
The majority of Seneca’s employees have been with the company 14-25 years. In this day and time, that speaks volumes for a company. When we asked Dale about his expansion plans, he said that he wants a controlled growth of 10%-15% per year.
How does he plan to achieve this, you may ask. "Well that’s why I have our son Greg getting more involved in the business, as well as bringing on industry veteran, Mark Crable. We want to be heavily involved in the pulp and paper industry."
Ladies and gentlemen, from the looks of things I surely would not bet against him. Dale’s portfolio includes a Holiday Inn Select (ask him why), 50 oil wells, a biofuels energy plant, D&K Building Rentals, a 30,000 sq. ft. shop and headquarters, a building and office in Darlington, S.C., and a fabrication shop in Circleville, and last but not least, a Structural Division in Columbus, Ohio.
By the way, Mark Crable is a long time TAPPI member and recent award winner at PaperCon2014. My thanks to Mark for setting up our visit with the fine folks of Seneca Steel Fabricators.
In the photo above are (l-r): Greg and Dale Campbell, Larry Montague, and Eric Fletty
More information on Seneca is available online. More information about TAPPI also is available online
There are two types of people in our industry—TAPPI members and those who should be.
Until next time...Larry
