Iron Workers Capitalize on Construction Boom in South Carolina

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas). Using an aggressive marketing campaign, known as the Program for Regional Industry Market Expansion (P.R.I.M.E.), the International Iron Workers Union is experiencing growth and attracting new contractors. Funded by Iron Worker Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust (I.M.P.A.C.T.), P.R.I.M.E. supplies industrial project information to signatory contractors through a partnership with Sugar Land, Texas based Industrial Info Resources. The program is attracting qualified contractors, sometimes from out of state, to work on the growing number of commercial and industrial jobs in South Carolina. According to David Gornewicz, District Representative - Southeastern States District Council of the International Iron Workers Union, “In Charleston, South Carolina Local 601, iron worker man-hours grew by 39% in fiscal 2005.” This growth is attributed to the marketing of project information to contractors who were located out of state, and then were awarded project work and came to the area to perform the work. Prior to the program, there were not a whole lot of qualified contractors in the area.

Currently, in Local 601, there are five contractors, employing about 79 iron workers involved with a combination of commercial and industrial jobs in the area. Four of these contractors are new to the area and were attracted to South Carolina by P.R.I.M.E.’s marketing campaign. One of the larger successes for the iron workers was being awarded the structural steel work for the new Vought Aircraft plant, which began construction last year and is nearing completion. (See related July 6, 2005 news article - Iron Workers Begin Steel Work for Vought Aircraft Plant in South Carolina). The project is currently undergoing final inspection and should be up and operating by July 2006.

The Southeastern region of the U.S. is experiencing increased industrial and commercial construction in part due to a shift in national population to area. “That’s the reason we started the P.R.I.M.E. program, targeting the Southeast market,” adds Mr. Gornewicz. He goes on the say, “There’s a whole spectrum of construction work going on in this area, everything from new manufacturing plants, to power plant construction, and infrastructure, such as water treatment plants, hospitals, and schools. The future looks bright as well. Two new nuclear power plants are being permitted for South Carolina. The Port of Charleston is seeing re-growth and there’s new commercial development on the old naval base properties. In other parts of the state there’s actually new factory construction and additions to existing factories."

P.R.I.M.E covers ten iron worker locals from three Iron Worker district councils: Southeastern, Tennessee Valley, and Mid-Atlantic, which includes Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, which participate in a single agreement and marketing strategy. The P.R.I.M.E. program along with access to Industrial Info’s industrial project information through IMPACT Direct is just another benefit that IMPACT is offering to signatory contractors.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is a Marketing Information Service company that has been doing business for over 23 years. IIR is respected as the leader in providing comprehensive market intelligence pertaining to the industrial processing, heavy manufacturing, and energy-related industries throughout the world.