Nucor Steel Has Big Reach In Small Mississippi County Community

While the recent focus has been on the brewing steel factory war in Northeast Arkansas, Nucor Steel has been part of the fabric of the region for nearly three decades.

Lost in the legal dispute and arguments over whether or not competitor Big River Steel will be helpful or hurtful to Mississippi County’s air standards, workforce and quality of life, Nucor has made significant contributions to the area and helped the community survive when an Air Force Base closure doomed a major employer and economic driver in Northeast Arkansas.

The former Eaker Air Force Base, which housed several B-52s and KC-135 planes, closed in 1992. Several thousand people and jobs soon left.

Nucor actually came to Mississippi County in 1986, when ground was broken on the first of three mills. It was ramping up and hitting its stride when Eaker closed.

“It was a shocker to see 5,000 jobs go away,” said Sam Commella, vice president and general manager of Nucor Steel Arkansas.

Today, Commella says Nucor has 1,650 direct jobs with a median wage of $85,000 combined at Nucor Yamato, Nucor Hickman and Nucor Castrip.

The mills are located within miles of one another on farmland near the Mississippi River with Castrip and Yamato situated on the same property.

CZ and CSC car building sections and rail ties are made at the Yamato plant, while steel used for grain storage and office furniture is manufactured at the Castrip plant. Also, carbon steel sheeting is made at the Hickman plant.

The company also has a plant in Memphis where carbon steel is manufactured.

Commella said the company pays about $200 million in state and local taxes each year and that there are about 14,000 jobs that are indirectly related to the company in Mississippi County.

EMPLOYEES/WORKFORCE TRAINING
The steel industry normally draws people who are interested in science, engineering and math to work. Leon Topalian, vice president and general manager of Nucor Yamato Steel, said the company has “an incredible talent pool” with employees who believe in motivation and desire.

Commella agreed, saying the company needs employees that are well-rounded and are able to think on their feet.

“We need people of all stripes, as well as engineering and technical. … With a manufacturing plant, we also need people with a basic understanding of science, English and math,” he said.

The company has worked for years with officials at Arkansas Northeastern College on a two-year internship program. The program helps students to get an associate’s degree and trains new electricians and mill wrights.

Another program has set up flex scheduling for employees to take classes at ANC.

The program has allowed employees to get additional training. The company’s foundation has also set aside $60 million to pay for employees and their families to go to school, Commella said.

Commella said he has been active in working with the KIPP charter school in Blytheville. The school – for students in fourth through ninth grade – opened in 2010.

The school’s curriculum stresses not only education but character as well, said Commella, who also serves on the school’s board.

“There are the educational aspects. They also teach character traits like having a positive attitude and how you carry yourself,” he said.

The company has also been active in the Great River Promise program.

Commella said it was a seven-year commitment to make sure every child in Mississippi County has the opportunity to get at least an associate’s degree.

Rep. Monte Hodges, D-Blytheville, who represents the district where Nucor is located and where Big River Steel is coming, said he’s not a fortune teller, but he shudders to think about the challenges that Mississippi County would face without Nucor’s longtime investments.

“Nucor has been a great corporate citizen not only for Mississippi County, but the state of Arkansas,” Hodges said. “I don’t have a crystal ball and definitely can’t predict the future, but I think things would have been a lot different economically if Nucor were not in Mississippi County, especially in Blytheville after the Eaker Air Force Base closing.”