5
P R O J E C T P R O F I L E
Big River Steel builds super mill $1.3 billion project touted as single largest private investment in Arkansas history; mill will generate up to 1.6 billion tons of various steel types annually.
By RICHARD MASSEY Correspondent
A $1.3 billion steel mill in northeast Arkansas is taking shape and, by next summer, should be produc- ing a variety of goods, including the widest and thickest hot strip ever made by a North American thin slab caster. Big River Steel LLC (Osceola, AR) has already completed the site prep with more than 1.1 million cubic- yards of excavation, and about a third of the foundation is finished. The single largest private investment in Arkansas history, the Flex Mill will open the door for more than 500 jobs with an average annual salary of $75,000. Speaking at the September 2014 ground-breaking, John Correnti, chairman and CEO of Big River Steel, said, “Never has a day touched me as deeply as being here celebrating with all of you. Northeast Arkansas is my home, so to have the opportunity to build the world’s most advanced steel mill here – powered not just by technology but by the work ethic of the people of Mississippi County – is for me an experience that is hard to put into words.” SMS Group, a German global supplier of machines and services for the metallurgical industry, is provid- ing the equipment package for the mill. Associated Bringham Contractors and Cache Valley Electric, both of Utah; Bracken and Schueck Steel of Arkansas; and Eutaw Construction of Mississippi are the lead sub- contractors on the mill that’s being called “revolutionary” by Mark Bula, Big River Steel’s chief commercial officer. “Our long-term focus is on the process that will allow us to produce the most challenging steels, from See STEEL, page 8
EDITOR’S NOTE Soon after this article was written, John Correnti passed away in Chicago. Zweig Group’s thoughts go out to his family and friends.
THE ZWEIG LETTER SEPTEMBER 21, 2015, ISSUE 1120
Made with FlippingBook Annual report