Big River Steel, Atlas Steel donate $800,000 for Mississippi Co. ‘Work Here, Live Here’ program

Two of Mississippi County’s largest employers, Big River Steel and Atlas Tube, have both made renewed investments in the “Work Here, Live Here” housing incentive program, contributing more than $800,000 in new funds. BRS has recommitted with $500,000, and Atlas Tube has recommitted with $300,000.

Launched in 2023, the “Work Here, Live Here” program offers employees of participating Mississippi County employers up to $50,000 for the purchase of a new home, or up to $25,000 for an existing home. The initiative has supported the sale of more than 150 homes, adding $37.4 million in new home construction and value throughout the county.

Big River Steel, the first industry partner to join “Work Here, Live Here” two years ago, initially invested $3 million in the program, helping generate $28.3 million in home value across 107 employee-purchased homes. Sixty-three percent of those were first-time homeowners, with an average participant age of 29. After exhausting its initial investment, BRS has recommitted to the program with an additional $500,000.

Atlas Tube, a division of Zekelman Industries, originally invested $367,000, generating $3.9 million in new home value in Mississippi County, with 18 homes purchased by employees through the program. Of those homeowners, 67 percent were first-time buyers, and the average homeowner age was 38.

Mississippi County Judge John Alan Nelson praised the growing public-private momentum.

“This program works because companies like Big River Steel and Atlas Tube understand the value of investing in people,” Nelson said. “When our workforce lives here, learns here and grows here, the entire county benefits.”