by Jessica Igo | Sep 6, 2024 | News, Uncategorized
Chief Buildings is proud to have David Myrick join the Chief family as District Manager for the territory comprised of Mississippi, Alabama, the panhandle of Florida, and the Memphis, Tennessee market. David, a Mississippi native, has over 30 years’ experience in the metal building industry, bringing a wealth of knowledge and expertise to further support our Builders in the South where we also recently opened our third manufacturing facility in Lancaster, South Carolina.
Mike Pugach, General Sales Manager for Chief Buildings, said, “Chief’s success is built on the shoulders of the Builders we partner with. David’s innate passion to develop and foster long-standing relationships is key to supporting Chief’s mission of providing unparalleled personal attention to taking care of our customers. We’re very excited to have David on our team.”
David shares that excitement, stating, “It has been a pleasure to start a new territory with such a well-respected manufacturer in the metal building industry and to be able to do this in my own backyard. I also love the fact that it’s a third-generation family-owned business with such a diverse group of companies and great reputation for quality. Spending the first half of my career wearing many hats in the commercial general contactor business has been a huge help for my success as a District Manager, but there is no match for having a great product and team to back you up.”
PJ Bogensberger, Regional Sales Manager, covers the Eastern Region of the United States which includes David’s territory of Mississippi, Alabama, the Florida panhandle, and Memphis, Tennessee. “David’s knowledge of both the industry and the region is extensive. He’s just a great fit for the role and for the Chief Buildings family.”
Chief Buildings, founded in 1966, designs and manufactures metal building systems for the low-rise, non-residential market for a nationwide customer base. Chief Buildings is headquartered in Grand Island, Nebraska, with offices in Lincoln, Nebraska, Fort Dodge, Iowa, and Eufaula, Alabama, and three manufacturing plants located in Grand Island, Nebraska, Rensselaer, Indiana, and Lancaster, South Carolina. Chief Buildings is a long standing member of the Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) and is accredited by the International Accreditation Service (IAS) in compliance with the inspection programs for manufacturers of metal building systems (AC472). Chief Buildings is a Division of Chief Industries, Inc. For more information on Chief Buildings or Chief Industries visit: www.chiefbuildings.com and www.chiefind.com.
by Jessica Igo | Dec 15, 2023 | News, Uncategorized
Chief Buildings has been collaborating with the United Way in the communities where we live and work for decades, and hosting an office toy drive for the annual Toys for Tots campaign is one of our favorite traditions.
This year was no different, but there was an added sense of urgency to the campaign when it was reported that there were more than twice as many children in need than there were toy donations.
Tarryn Fulton, Administrative Manager, sent out a last-minute message to staff with an extended donation deadline. By the following Monday, the bins were overflowing.
“117 total gifts were donated by the employees at our Technical Services Office in Grand Island. From Barbie dolls to action figures, Lego sets, Hot Wheels, Play Doh, tractors, books, puzzles, and even some scooters and remote controlled cars, we had something for all ages and interests. It was one of our best collections to date,” said Tarryn.
Brian Davis, who has been a Drafter with Chief Buildings for 6 of the 16 total years he was worked for the company, brought in his 6 year-old daughter and 9 year-old son to add donations to the bins.
“My wife and I have our kids pick out a toy that they would really enjoy and would like to have, and we have them donate them themselves. We explain to them that not every parent has the resources to get their kids new toys for Christmas like we do, and we have a responsibility to our community to do our part to help out. We want to teach them the meaning of giving – from the heart, expecting nothing in return. Plus, I have a soft spot for kids and hate to think of a kid waking up to nothing on Christmas morning,” said Brian.
Thanks to the generosity of people like Brian in the greater Grand Island area, we are thrilled to report that the Heartland United Way was able to reach their toy goal and fulfill the need, adding a little bit of that Christmas magic to the lives of children in our community.
by Jessica Igo | Oct 13, 2023 | News, Uncategorized
It is mid-October, and Rensselaer, Indiana’s Milroy Park is alive with the spirit of Spooky Season. Local businesses and organizations – from restaurants to sororities to healthcare providers – have set up their annual “Scarecrow Trail” displays, to include “Cold Steel Scarecrow,” designed and produced by our very own Chief Buildings Team. But the real mastermind of the project is Maintenance Supervisor, Terry Miller.
Terry has been with Chief Buildings since 1990, but it was a trip with his son to the Rensselaer Parks Christmas Tree Trail in 2018 that sparked his interest in creating a Chief display.
“I saw other local industries had displays and thought to myself, ‘Why isn’t Chief displaying?'”
The very next year, Terry worked with other Chief employees to come up with a concept, design and fabricate a display for the Halloween “Scarecrow Trail,” and get it set up in the park. That was 2019, and he has been coming up with bigger and better display ideas every year since!
“It is a team effort. The ideas have come from different people and then we find a way to make it happen. These are primarily done by the maintenance department, but we have had some artistic help from various department floor employees. We just roll with it. I have dreams of things I would like to do, and hope we can make them reality in the future.”
The displays are judged by a panel of community members, and there is also a “People’s Choice” winner selected by votes on the Rensselaer Parks Facebook page. To vote for us or view other entries, you can access that page here – https://www.facebook.com/RensselaerParks
by Jessica Igo | Sep 29, 2023 | News, Uncategorized
Schools across the country are back in full swing, and Otto Kasten, Quality Assurance Manager at our Indiana manufacturing plant, has been busy visiting high schools in and around the town of Rensselaer with donations to their welding programs.
“At the start of school we put together a care package of various PPE items for four high schools in our immediate area. Safety is our number one priority here at Chief and we want them to know that their safety is our number one priority as well,” said Otto.
Every year, Otto and his team deliver safety glasses, weld gloves and jackets, and one head gear and grinding shield for each school. But he doesn’t stop there.
“A couple times a year we donate scrap steel for their programs – approximately 1000-1500 pounds of scrap steel to each high school. At the end of the school year, we give weld test to the students. Sometimes 30-40 students per school take the 2G weld test and if they passed it the prior year then they take the 3G weld test. The beginner classes take a fillet weld test. We also do plant tours for the high schools, and I am on the Advisory Committee for all four high schools.”
The four high schools served by this program are Rensselaer Central High School, South Newton High School, Tri-County High School, and West Central High School. There are a total of 211 students enrolled in the welding programs across all four schools.
In addition to his work with the high schools, Otto is also on the Advisory Committee at Ivy Tech, a local College, and Chief Buildings donates approximately 2000-2500 pounds of scrap steel to their programs twice a year.
Otto and his team in Indiana are not the only Chief Buildings location actively involved in educating the youth in their community, however. Our manufacturing plants in Nebraska and South Carolina both regularly donate scrap steel to local welding programs and offer plant tours to high school and college students.
by Jessica Igo | Aug 8, 2023 | News
Just as Chief Buildings are set on strong foundations, we believe the communities where we work and live are the foundation for our employees and their families to grow. To that end, Chief has always been a strong supporter of the United Way. When our new manufacturing plant opened in Lancaster, South Carolina nearly a year ago, establishing a relationship with the local United Way was a priority. Stacy Catoe, HR/Payroll Administrator, set to work creating a workplace campaign, which was recognized last month at the United Way Celebration of Community.
Business and non-profit leaders from Lancaster county came together at the Arnold Room of USC Lancaster’s Bradley Building on July 12th to celebrate 65 years of the work of the United Way of Lancaster County. The United Way raises funds to help provide services to improve the overall health and stability of the community. This can include assistance with housing, food insecurity, prescription costs, and more.
Many awards were presented at the event to business and community leaders who made a significant impact on the campaign through either their gifts or their service. Although we are new to the community, we are proud to announce our impact was acknowledged in the form of an award for New Campaign of the Year!
We are excited to see where the future takes us in Lancaster, and we are thrilled to be a part of the community. Thank you, United Way of Lancaster, S.C.
