New Millennium Completes Major Expansion at Salem, Virginia

New Millennium Building Systems, a subsidiary of Steel Dynamics, Inc., is pleased to announce the dedication of its new and renovated facilities at its operation in Salem, Virginia. The company has invested over $30 million in the renovation and expansion of an existing joist plant and the construction of a new facility to produce steel deck.

The New Millennium plant in Salem has been in continuous operation since 1946, when John W. Hancock, Jr. established the company to supply steel building components following World War II. He also founded Roanoke Electric Steel Corporation, which prospered and later bought the steel fabrication business known as John W. Hancock, Jr., Inc. When Steel Dynamics of Fort Wayne, Indiana, acquired Roanoke Electric fifty years later, in 2006, the Salem operation became a part of its New Millennium Building Systems business.

At that time, New Millennium operated two plants—its original plant in Butler, Indiana, built in 2000, and a second plant in Lake City, Florida, built in 2005. Steel Dynamics announced plans to modernize the former Roanoke joist plants to meet modern standards. The Salem operation was renovated to bring its capabilities in line with New Millennium’s first two plants. The improvements at Salem include:

· Renovating 90,000 square feet of the existing joist plant.

· Adding 111,000 square feet of new construction to the joist plant.

· Upgrading the joist plant to virtually all state-of-the-art equipment.

· Building a new 50,000 square-foot steel deck facility.

· Outfitting the deck plant with the latest equipment and technology.

· Building a new 16,000 square-foot office building.

· Building a new 8,500 square-foot employee services building, including cafeteria, kitchen, and locker room.

“We are very excited about the capabilities of the ‘renewed’ Salem plant and the potential for our workforce to make the Salem location one of our premier joist-and-deck plants,” said Bert Hollman, President of New Millennium Building Systems. “I am confident that we are now in a much stronger competitive position to compete for new building projects and grow our business in the mid-Atlantic region.”

New Millennium acknowledged the community’s cooperation as well as the financial incentives provided by the state and local governments. New Millennium pledged to provide the opportunity for its Salem employees to increase their earnings through strong incentive pay programs and committed to improving employee benefits and working conditions.

Financial incentives provided by the Commonwealth of Virginia and various local units of government were supportive of maintaining operations within Roanoke County and the City of Salem, including:

· Economic Development grant provided by Roanoke County

· Economic Development grant provided by the City of Salem

· Financial assistance for installation of a rail spur, sponsored by the City of Salem and granted by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation

· Job Investment Program (employee retraining) funded by the Commonwealth of Virginia

Elmer C. Hodge, Roanoke County Administrator, said, "We are thrilled that New Millennium has chosen the Roanoke Valley for this significant expansion, which allowed Roanoke County and the City of Salem to save approximately 175 jobs. Given the challenges facing the steel industry in a changing global economy, the decision to invest over $30 million in Roanoke County is a testimony to the quality of doing business in our region."

Salem City Manager Kevin Boggess added, “New Millennium has done a splendid job of upgrading its facilities in West Salem. We’re so fortunate to have such a vibrant company doing business here.”

Contact: Art Ullom, Salem General Manager, New Millennium Building Systems,

(540) 375-4555

art.ullom@newmill.com