Southland Steel Fabrication Inc. Expands with $25 Million USDA Loan, Boosts Local Economy and Workforce with State-of-the-Art Technology Founded in 1986, Southland Steel Fabricators Inc. is now one of the largest steel fabricators in the region. As a family-owned and operated industrial steel fabrication company in rural Louisiana, Southland Steel Fabricators serves the refining, power, and chemical markets along the Gulf Coast and throughout the United States. Partnering with USDA Rural Development to secure a $25 million Business and Cooperative Services loan guarantee, the company used the funds to grow and expand by purchasing real estate, equipment, and inventory to include state-of-the-art new technology for robotic coping and a fully automated beam line system to increase efficiency, lower costs and ensure quality.
Southland Steel Fabricators, Inc. Chief Financial Officer Dale Sexton and Director of Engineering Zach Kent greeted and welcomed USDA staff on a recent tour of their galvanizing plant in Amite, LA. USDA Rural Business Cooperative Services Administrator Betsy Londrigan, Associate Deputy Administrator Dr. James Jordan, Rural Development Chief of Staff Leroy Garcia, Special Advisor Robert Lyons alongside Rural Development Louisiana Business Programs Director Whey McGrew, Community Programs Director Matt Seaton, and Loan Specialists Evan Pruss and Tammy Laizure along with 50 USDA staff from across the country saw firsthand how Southland Steel Fabricators improved and grew their business with help from the USDA loan.
“All the jobs, equipment, and new technology at this plant came from the USDA loan. That $25 million loan guarantee spurred a $50 million line of business that will be close to $100 million next year. This means more growth for us, more expansion, and economic development that will impact this community in other parts of the state we are in,” said Sexton.
With over 400 employees between their Greensburg and Amite locations, Southland Steel Fabricators is investing in local talent by building a vocational training center where high school students and residents interested in becoming welders, fitters, engineers, and mechanics can take developmental training courses to learn the trade. Having an impact on the community is critical to the continued success of Southland Steel. Local high school students taking training classes at the center and working part-time at Southland Steel can earn up to $40,000 annually during their senior year.
The investment in the local workforce and infrastructure is a source of pride for rural Louisiana. Southland Steel is the only steel fabricator in the United States certified to apply fireproofing in-house. About 40 of the company’s employees work solely on these complex coatings.
“What you see here (Amite, LA plant) is the best galvanizing facility in the United States. We are the only structural steel fabricator in the USA with a galvanizing capability, a first-of-its-kind100,000-sqft galvanizing facility for custom hot dip galvanizing.” said Saxton.