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 Juana Lucas | Aug 13, 2024 | News, Uncategorized
Another summer is coming to an end, and soon our Interns will be heading back to school. Before they wrap up their internship, we’ve asked them for a recap of what they learned and the skills they acquired during their hands-on experience with us this summer.
Juana Lucas, a Marketing major at Hastings College, will continue working for us part-time during the upcoming school year. This summer, her days were filled with photography, ad creation, ringing color samples, and sorting and shipping Chief swag and marketing brochures. Her biggest project, however, was creating a robust online building portfolio on our website. Her work can be viewed here – https://chiefbuildings.com/portfolio/photos/ . We look forward to Juana’s continued contributions to our small but mighty Marketing Department.
Matt Eschenbrenner, a Civil Engineering student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is wrapping up his Engineering Internship this week. Some of his main tasks this summer were to help update the ASCE 7-22 Snow Loads, as well as updating various spreadsheets that Chief utilizes in calculations. One of his favorite projects this summer was updating the eyebrow canopy spreadsheet that allowed for customized tie-rod spacing, as it allowed him to think creatively to solve a problem. Matt came to us with the incredibly valuable soft skill of reaching out to experienced and knowledgeable experts for advice and direction. This will serve him well in his life and career.
Gavin Ruff, a Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, spent most of his days working on projects which ranged from excel data sheets to sending out seamer orders. One of Gavin’s bigger projects for the summer was creating an excel sheet that would calculate the number of panels, girt clips, screws etc., while only requiring the user to input small amounts of information. This would allow the user to calculate the number of parts needed with ease. He has gained knowledge on how businesses and companies work together to complete an overall task, along with how to problem solve with all the little things that can pop up and complicate finishing the main goal. One of his most rewarding experiences was being able to see his projects used by others in the company. Overall, his experience and time at Chief has been a great success and he is looking forward to continuing his career at Chief next summer.
As a third-generation family business committed to community and education, we feel it is a privilege to spend our summers with young people in the beginning stages of their career and life journey. Juana, Matt, and Gavin, we hope we have given you valuable knowledge and experience in your chosen fields. Thank you for spending your summer with Chief Buildings!
by Juana Lucas | Jun 3, 2024 | News, Uncategorized
Summer is back and so is our blog!
Every family has summer traditions, and at Chief Buildings, one of our favorite traditions is welcoming in our Summer Interns. Let’s get Summer 2024 kicked-off right with intern introductions – starting at our Grand Island, Nebraska offices.
Juana Lucas (far right) attends Hastings College and is majoring in Marketing. She will be interning with our Marketing Coordinator, Jessica Igo, this summer. Outside of work and school hours, Juana likes to surround herself with her family and friends. Juana’s first impression of Chief Building in one sentence is, “People are respectful and willing to be there to help you learn which makes it a friendly environment.”
Matt Eschenbrenner (far left) is a Civil Engineering major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Matt is interning in our Engineering Department under our Director of Engineering, Dustin Cole. He spends his free time running, playing basketball, and hiking. Matt’s first impression of Chief Buildings in one sentence is, “Everyone at Chief seems extremely knowledgeable and welcoming, so I am grateful and excited to be working here.”
Gavin Ruff (middle) also attends the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he majors in Mechanical Engineering. He is a Project Management Intern working with Brent Frerichs, Inside Sales Manager. Gavin enjoys spending his free time playing pickleball, running, and lifting, as well as spending time with his friends and watching movies. Gavin’s first impression of Chief Buildings in one sentence is, “It is a very welcoming place, and everyone is friendly toward you.”
We look forward to a fun summer of hands-on learning with this bright group of young people as they pursue the next steps toward their chosen careers.
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.
