Economic Outlook/Energy Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015
Progress Edition I — Section 2
Dave Gossett
The two 100 year old blast furnaces at the former RG Steel South plant began to fall on an August 2013 afternoon after explosives took out the “legs” supporting the structures. The demolition of the blast furnaces was part of a multi-million dollar cleanup of the property to clear space for future businesses.
River rail development expanding business growth By DAVE GOSSETT Staff writer STEUBENVILLE — Four companies have opened operations on the former RG Steel property in the South End of Steubenville, and four additional companies now are in discussions to lease property at the site. Steubenville Urban Projects Director Chris Petrossi said the four companies currently based on the former steel mill property have 71 employees working and the additional companies will bring another approximately 100 jobs to the area. An industrial park was the idea Ken Burns, chief operating officer of Strauss Industries of Wheeling, had in mind when he moved to buy the 119-acre site in 2012. The property had been home to a steel industry for 150 years but has undergone a major facelift since RG Steel filed bankruptcy in 2012. “I have had my eye on this property for probably the past 10 years. Some of these buildings date back to 1904. We are demolishing and removing a number of structures and have saved buildings we can use in the future. We also plan to move our scrap operations from Weirton to this site where it will be under a roof and will be a more equipment-oriented
operation,” said Burns in a 2013 interview. “We have spent more than $5 million, including the $1 million Clean Ohio Assistance grant, to clean up any asbestos on the site as well as demolish and remove the scrap buildings. Add in the pre-work expenditures and we are closer to $6 million,” cited Burns. “We have a very open relationship with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. So far we have drilled 233 wells throughout the site to make sure we find anything and everything that needs to be cleaned up. There is nothing taboo for the OEPA to look at. We are doing everything they want us to do and more,” emphasized Burns. “The potential for this property is amazing. We are currently negotiating with companies interested in locating here. We are not looking for short-term tenants but we are interested in companies that want to be here for the next 30 years,” Burns said. Petrossi said Strauss Industries has been “very cooperative with the city and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. “An environmental consulting firm inspected the site for potential ground contaminants and the owners are currently conducting surgical excavations to remove any problems. And Strauss has taken the
existing concrete floors and pads, ground them up and used the material for roadways. They are recycling nearly everything in the plant. They also took out an electrical substation that was visible from state Route 7 north coming into the city. They are very good neighbors in our South End,” declared Petrossi. “The city is all eyes and ears as far as the future development and the opportunity to sell you or your tenants water. We welcome you to the community,” Steubenville Mayor Domenick Mucci told the Strauss Industry officials. Burns said he is preparing for what he believes will be a business boom in the Midwest. “We believe there will be a major increase in river traffic in the coming months. We want to be prepared for that event and are looking for potential development of the property along the river. Transportation is key to our business and our plans include changing the rail system into the property. I really believe this general
area is prime for future development. The taxes are more reasonable than other areas and this is a good area for housing development. We are excited to be here and a part of the future,” remarked Burns. “We have a great transportation system in this area with the highways and river. Transportation is key to our business, and our plans include changing the rail system into the property,” he said. Chief Financial Officer John McDonald cited, “the tremendous amount of progress during the past nine months,” during the 2013 interview. “We have received tremendous support on this project from the state of Ohio, JobsOhio and PNC Bank,” McDonald said. “This is a work in progress and we are going to do it the right way. We are planning to redesign the entrance to the property so it looks more appealing for people driving by on state Route 7. I keep thinking about saving and renovating the office building which dates back to the LaBelle Works. It will need major repairs but I think it could be an asset for us,” said Burns, who See RIVER Page 2B ➪
Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015
2B
River Continued from Page 1B
laughed when he was asked about the cut lawn surrounding the 109year old brick structure. “We plan to bring in someone to do some landscaping, including trimming the trees back. We want to make our property look better,” Burns said. “Additional jobs are expected as the property is redeveloped and leased. Property redevelopment is also expected to generate income and property tax benefits for the city as well,” Petrossi has told planning commission members. “The cleanup will include proper removal and disposal of asbestos material in accordance with applicable local, state and federal regulations followed by the demolition of the structures to clear the property for redevelopment,” Petrossi said. “I really believe this general area is prime for future development. The taxes are more reasonable than other areas and this is a good area for housing development. We are excited to be here and a part of the future,” Burns
noted. According to Steubenville Urban Projects Director Chris Petrossi, the property originally was developed in 1856 by the Jefferson Iron Works as a steel manufacturing facility. “Around the turn of the century the LaBelle Iron Works purchased the property and continued to operate the site as a steel manufacturing facility. In 1920, LaBelle merged with the Whitaker-Glessner Co. and Wheeling Steel & Iron Co. to form the Wheeling Steel Corp. In 1968, the Wheeling Steel Corp. merged with the Pittsburgh Steel Corp. to form the WheelingPittsburgh Steel Corp.,” cited Petrossi. “A merger with Esmark Corp. took place in 2007. Then Severstal North America Inc. acquired Esmark and Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel in 2008. The RG Steel Corp. took ownership of the property in March of 2011 and continued steel manufacturing activities until May 2012, when the company filed for bankruptcy. River Rail purchased
the property in July 2012 to develop an industrial park for Strauss Industries to conduct metal scrap processing and logistic activities,” continued Petrossi. He noted the city applied a $1 million grant and subsequently was approved for the money through the Clean Ohio Assistance Fund, “to complete asbestos abatement and demolition of the former No. 1 and No. 2 blast furnaces. “After remediation the property will be redeveloped with a multimodal transfer and processing facility to support midstream shale gas operations. The facility should
be operational by the fourth quarter of 2014,” Petrossi stated in his grant application. “The benefit of this project is the availability of a safe site free of hazards to human health and the environment and ready for redevelopment for industrial land use. Property redevelopment is also expected to generate income and See RAIL Page 3B
Dave Gossett
Demolition crews spent days using torches to cut away the steel base of the two blast furnaces at the former RG Steel South Plant in Steubenville prior to a controlled explosion that brought the two structures crashing down to the ground.
Dave Gossett
Demolition experts from the Joseph B. Fay Co. of Pittsburgh set dynamite charges in August 2013 to bring down two 100-year-old blast furnaces at the former RG Steel Steubenville plant. A number of structures have been demolished by the River Rail Corp. in order to prepare the 119-acre site for an industrial park.
Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015
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River Continued from Page 2B
Dave Gossett
This is one of the two blast furnaces at the former RG Steel South Plant in Steubenville. The furnaces were small when compared to the more modern structure in Mingo Junction.
property tax benefits for the city,” added Petrossi. The two 100-year-old blast furnaces at the Steubenville site disappeared in two thundering blasts and a cloud of dust in August 2013, officially ending a steel making era in the city. The demolition of the two blast furnaces by the Joseph B. Fay Co, of Pittsburgh was part of a major cleanup of the steel mill site as the property is transformed into an industrial park. Those two blast furnaces didn’t go quietly. The first furnace disappeared in a thundering blast and a large cloud of dust. But the demolition crew needed to set new charges to take down the second blast furnace that has stood on the property for more than 100 years. The Joseph B. Fay Co. employees had spent several weeks preparing for the controlled explosive demolition of the towering iron structures that produced molten iron for more than a century. “This job is an interesting one because we have a railroad on the south side of the furnaces so we want to bring them down to the ground toward the north open side,” explained a demolition company employee prior to the explosions. “It was a successful job. The blast furnaces are on the ground and no one was hurt,” he would say later. (Gossett can be contacted at dgossett@heraldstaronline.com.)
Dave Gossett
A 2013 tour of the shuttered blast furnace department at the former RG Steel South Plant in Steubenville gave visitors a glimpse of the ironmaking process that existed for more than 100 years.
Dave Gossett
The River Rail Corp. has recycled existing concrete slabs and bases into gravel to build roadways through the 119-acre former RG Steel South Plant in Steubenville.
Jefferson County Port Authority growing into a leadership position Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015
4B
Preparing for the future: By DAVE GOSSETT Staff writer
new employment opportunities to our area.” Scurti and his wife Carol dreamed about returning to their hometown. “We always talked about moving back home. I had been working in economic development since graduate school at Ohio State. It is nice to want to find a job in your hometown. But as I told the Port Authority board of directors when I interviewed for this job, I would have been interested in coming to Jefferson County even if I wasn’t a native. Coming back here made it even more special for my wife and I,” Scurti explained. “I was really interested when I first learned about the job opportunity with the Port Authority. This is an exciting county with the key pieces and parts for economic development. My immediate job has been to put the pieces and parts together and to tell our story,” he said. Scurti grew up in Wintersville, graduat-
WINTERSVILLE — The Jefferson County Port Authority is continuing to grow into a leadership position as the Jefferson County economic development agency. The authority was created in 2012, and in 2013 came to an agreement with the Jefferson County commissioners and Steubenville Council to focus much of its attention on the Jefferson County Industrial Park. Since that initial agreement the port authority has expanded its marketing efforts to include the county-owned Towers building in downtown Steubenville as well as city-owned and privately-owned property in the Steubenville South End. Riley Petroleum opened its new facility in the park during 2013. Port Authority Executive Director Evan Scurti noted, “This will be another great addition to the park and will bring
DDiinrecitonryg
ed from Catholic Central High School and then Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he majored in political science. “I started getting interested in community planning and development when I would visit my grandparents’ bakery on Seventh Street. I could see the change in the city’s downtown and thought about what could be done to improve the neighborhood,” Scurti said. “While I was at Franciscan I had the opportunity to do a nine-month internship with John Brown at the Brooke-HancockJefferson Metropolitan Planning Commission. That gave me the chance to work in the real world. And Dr. Brown told me about the discipline in city planning and encouraged me to get my graduate degree at Ohio State University in city and regional planning,” related Scurti. “During my graduate work at Ohio State I also worked for two and a half years for the city of Gahanna. That got me into the economic development profession and then a job for three years as assistant economic development director in Ashland. When the director left I assumed his duties for another six years before I left to work for the Ohio
Department of Transportation,” continued Scurti. That’s when the Jefferson County Port Authority advertised for the first economic development director to lead the young organization, and Scur-
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Dave Gossett
A walking tour of the Steubenville Central Business District gave Jefferson County Port Authority Executive Director Evan Scurti, left, an up-close view of potential investment properties. Scurti was accompanied on the tour by 4th Ward Councilwoman Angela Kirtdoll and Mayor Domenick Mucci.
ti had the chance to continue doing what he enjoyed and come home. “I want to be a catalyst for development and for attracting good jobs to our community. I have always viewed Steubenville as its own economic driver.
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and businesses. I don’t particularly want to be considered as a bedroom community of Pittsburgh,” he remarked. “I believe Jefferson County has a great atmosphere for economic development. Every county is unique in its own way but I feel I can develop goals for development in Jefferson County,” Scurti said. “We also have to be smart. As we proceed we will find we can be a targeted market. As part of that work I plan to talk to local managers of industries in Jefferson County. We have seen some interesting retailers come into the area in response to the oil and gas industry. That is why the port authority should be involved in our community,” said Scurti. “We have seen the oil and gas industry grow in Carroll and Harrison counties. But at the same time we
Investors see Jefferson County as an area where they can access the growing oil and gas industry,” noted Scurti. “During the first quarter of 2014, I met with the 10 to 15 largest industrial employers in Jefferson County to review the development and expansion tools offered by the Port Authority. We will continue the brownfield development by working with the Jefferson County Regional Planning Commission,” Scurti said “We are planning a meet and greet for sometime in February. That will include a pledge form, the 2015 action plan and an overview of the various port authorities in Ohio. We are setting a mass mailing in March that will include a letter from the chairman of the board of directors, a list of major See PORT Page 5B ➪
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Port Continued from Page 4B
accomplishments to date, a marketing brochure and a letter that will emphasize the port authority staff is ready to meet upon request to discuss our initiatives,” explained Scurti. During the first annual meeting, Michelle Comerford, a project director for a national company that specializes in site selection, location economics and incentives negotiation for corporate clients, told approximately 75 people the community should have “go-to sites and buildings, a readyto-work trained work force, appropriate utility infrastructure, support for sustainable business practices, creative and flexible incentives and a professional presentation and documentation for potential investors.” “This information must all be prepared when a company comes to visit your county and they must be worked on now so you are ready. You should ask yourself if you have a site or building available on a tight timeline. Your county is already on the American Electric Power quality site program and you should be ready to apply for the Site Ohio program that is being launched next year. It is important for smaller communities to get on the radar screen,” added Comerford. Comerford said Ohio is now one of the top 10 states in the country for a manufacturing resurgence. “You should also document available workers and their skills and not just unemployment numbers,” noted Comerford. “There is a reshoring trend from China to North Ameri-
ca. That is the idea of bringing manufacturing back from China to the United States and Mexico. Some of that is based on patriotism, but it is more largely based on the fact wages in China are going up. As their quality of life has risen, costs are going up in China and the cost of transportation is going up. That is creating a push to bring manufacturing back to North America and make the product more available to customers. As companies bring their business back they are taking a look at new sites,” explained Comerford. “That means you should be getting on the radar screen with your available land and buildings. When you have a company visit the area you must demonstrate this is the right place and finally you must deliver on your promises when it is time to close the deal. You can stay in the race by improving your competitive standing,” Comerford said. “Your port authority website is the first impression to the world. Maps help tell the story about Jefferson County and you need documented site infrastructures. Jefferson County has a long history of a trained manufacturing work force. You are in proximity to the shale oil and gas industry. You have river accessibility. These are the pros to Jefferson County. The cons are the topographical challenges, the economic challenges, education challenges and transportation accessibility,” said Comerford. Scurti pointed out Comcast high speed Internet service was installed for park tenants, which represented another major step forward. He also noted
the Port Authority worked on updating a catalogue of park attributes for future land sales. “The park continues to receive interest from several potential companies that are interested in locating in Jefferson County,” Scurti commented. The Port also continued the county’s aggressive effort, initially launched in 2010 by Progress Alliance, to identify and list all known available commercial properties that are for sale or lease. These include warehouses, office space, retail space, industrial sites, lots and land.
Properties are entered into the Ohio InSite online database and are accessed through www.jcport.com as well as jobs-ohio.com, giving increased exposure for the properties. Scurti stated the online database is “utilized by both JobsOhio and the local economic development office for property searches and to submit properties for leads generated at the state level. To date, Jefferson County’s database contains more than 220 available commercial sites and buildings.” He described this database as “our go-to place for searches.”
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2014. The open houses were designed to target brokers who are working with clients related to shale development and those still learning about activities in the play. The events were held in Pittsburgh, Columbus and the Akron-Canton area. According to Scurti, the Port did work with Spectra Energy, helping the company find space for its Jefferson County operations, located in Toronto. It also played a role in bringing Global Geophysical to the county See PORT Page 7B ➪
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Dave Gossett
Jefferson County Port Authority Executive Director Evan Scurti, left, listens to Steubenville Mayor Domenick Mucci during a walking tour of the downtown central business district. Scurti is now working to attract new businesses and investors to Steubenville.
“Having this data available, continued to help our efforts,” Scurti said. “It is without question an extremely valuable tool for us.” Scurti, hired in late 2013 as the port’s economic development director, admitted he “already has seen the popularity of the information available.” “People are calling our office on a regular basis wanting to get their properties listed,” Scurti said. Jefferson County, thanks to the efforts of the Port, participated in the Eastern Ohio Development Alliance Utica Shale Properties Open House events in
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6B
Photo courtesy of Adam Lytton, ODOT District 11
Blasting work is coming to an end on a hillside above state Route 7 near Rush Run as part of an ongoing $22 million landslide repair project. Two other hillside projects in the same area are about to begin, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation. All three projects total about $71 million.
Work continues: By MARK LAW Staf f writer The Ohio Department of Transportation spent $48.6 million in Jefferson County in 2013, $77.9 million in 2014 and expects to spend another $70 million this year on projects, mainly to correct hillside slip projects in the Rush Run-Brilliant area on state Route 7. Drivers along state Route 7 in the Rush Run-Brilliant area will
have to face another two years of lane restrictions as work continues to cut back the failing hillsides. Lloyd MacAdam, ODOT District 11 deputy director, said the first hillside project near Rush Run is about 95 percent complete. That project cost is $22 million. The hillside face failed in 2011 and ODOT built a long wall in the southbound lanes to protect vehicles, narrowing the
road to one lane in each direction. A second project, just south of the first project, costing $16 million, will involve removing 1 million cubic feet of dirt and rock to create “benches” above the highway. MacAdam said Kokising Construction was awarded the contract in the fall, and work is expected to begin in the spring. A third project near Brilliant, estimated at $33 million, has begun
Drivers along Route 7 face another two years of lane restrictions for hillside projects with tree cutting above the hillside. The project will be awarded in February, with
work also starting in the spring. The scope of that project involves moving 2.2 million cubic yards of dirt. MacAdam said ODOT plans to have all four lanes of state Route 7 in the project areas open by the summer of 2017. ODOT received Federal Highway Administration money for the projects because of the emergency in getting the hillsides cut back and opening all four lanes of the highway. “The areas have been troublesome for years, with Rush Run being more of a problem for years. We have been fortunate there haven’t been any serious injuries (with falling rocks),” he said. MacAdam said state Route 7 has seen major hillside projects over the years from Columbiana County to Belmont County. MacAdam said ODOT knows the lane restrictions are a problem along the highway, especially for the Rush Run residents who have faced a 4-mile detour since the project began.
Two other major projects are planned for state Route 7 near the Veterans Memorial Bridge.
“The areas have been troublesome for years, with Rush Run being more of a problem for years. We have been fortunate there haven’t been any serious injuries (with falling rocks).” – Lloyd MacAdam, ODOT District 11 deputy director
MacAdam said ODOT will do an access-improvement project from state Route 7 to the bridge. He said a short turning lane on state Route 7 north will be extended. The estimated cost of that project is $10 million. Work on the project is expected to begin in the fall of 2016. MacAdam said the re-allignment project on state Route 7 at the Veterans Memorial Bridge is significant because traffic is expected to increase with the oil and gas industry. ODOT also will be repairing or replacing
concrete along the U.S. Route 22/state Route 7 just north of the Veterans Memorial Bridge. That work
is estimated at $4 million and will be done this summer. The concrete is the original from when the bypass was built more than 20 years ago. MacAdam said Jefferson County has received the largest amount of construction money in the seven-county district during the past several years, mainly because of the state Route 7 hillside projects. ODOT also will be contributing $40 million of the estimated $100 million cost of the proposed bridge between Wellsburg and Brilliant. Construction on the bridge is expected to start in 2016. MacAdam said ODOT’s District 11 also has received an additional $3 million to repair roads because of the oil and gas industry traffic. He said pavement, which is expected to last 10 years, is seeing a shorter life span because of the truck traffic.
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Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015
Port Continued from Page 5B
for a short-term operation. In addition, the port provided assistance to PVR Partners, which has plans to construct a dry gas pipeline through Jefferson and Belmont counties. “This group has a strong commitment to the Community Investment Plan. We have been analyzing the plan and how it relates to the newly developed Land Use Plan as we move into the future. We believe it is important to have a guide for the county, and the CIP partners continue to work for the benefit of Jefferson County,” Scurti explained. “The CIP plan calls for the county’s economic development office to build alliances with regional and county economic development groups,” he added The Jefferson County Port Authority actively participates in the Eastern Ohio Development Alliance, Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association, the Ohio Council of Port Authorities and the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce. It also has strong ties to Appalachian Partnership for Economic Growth, its regional JobsOhio partner.
As he settled into his role as economic development director, Scurti was quick to point out Jefferson County is “ripe for investment.” “We have some vacant redevelopment sites being prepped and I’m excited about marketing these very strategic sites,” he stated. “The oil and gas opportunities we have here are very exciting. “I’m looking forward to reaching out to local leaders and really be educated by them. I will be meeting with folks involved in the industry and I’m hoping they will jump on board and be our partners as we explore future opportunities for our county.” The Port continues to keep abreast of incentive programs available through the state and its regional partner, APEG. As the county’s development organization, the Port coordinates incentives for new and expanding businesses. It also has continued the county’s former program of business retention and expansion visits. Scurti said the organization works with APEG to keep tabs on the needs of current employers in the area.
Fellows Insurance Agency continues strong tradition MINGO JUNCTION — As a fourthgeneration family business, Fellows Insurance Agency Inc. at 568 county Road 19 continues its strong tradition of offering sales and service experience to its customers throughout the Tri-State Area. Fellows Insurance Agency welcomed its fourth-generation involvement in 2000 when Dean C. Fellows joined the business founded 80 years ago by his great-grandfather, Charles R. Fellows. When Dean C. Fellows joined the Mingo Junction business, he not only followed in the footsteps of his father, C. Dean Fellows, but also his grandfather, Charles L. Fellows, and his great-grandfather. “I am very pleased and proud to have my son involved with this company,” said C. Dean Fellows, who became a licensed insurance agent in 1971 and acquired full ownership of the business in 1998. The last several years have been profitable for Fellows Insurance Agency, according to C. Dean Fellows. “We are thankful and appreciative of the opportunity to serve our many policy holders. We have truly been blessed,” he stated. The agency distinguished itself in
2013 by earning the prestigious Senior Partner Award presented by Grange Mutual Casualty Co., the agency’s primary market, for the 26th time. The achievement is based on performance, production, profitability and quality customer service. In 1973, the agency was incorporated and in recent years was singled out as the best insurance agency in the Herald-Star and The Weirton Daily Times’ Readers’ Choice awards. The staff at Fellows Insurance Agency boasts more than 100 years of combined sales and service experience and stands ready to help customers with the best coverage to meet their needs. That staff, aside from Dean Fellows and his son, includes customer service agent Marsha Kamerer who joined the agency in July 1974; customer service agent Debby Hauck, who joined the agency in August 1982; and Becky DeChristopher, bookkeeper and computer network administrator, since June 1983. The office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To reach Fellows Insurance Agency, call (740) 598-4114, (740) 2833338 or (888) 4-FELLOWS.
Rewarded Making A Difference in Brooke and Hancock Counties
Clear it, and companies will invest, as they have in Chester. Acquire it, and we will bring industry to Beech Bottom. Invest in it, and we will adapt public uses into economic opportunities, as we are in Newell and Weirton. Plan it, and watch community energy and pride follow as it has Bethany and New Cumberland. Build it and they will come, is easier said than done. It has taken five years for the changes referenced above to take hold, but not through business as usual. Change is coming to our region because creativity is being rewarded. Creativity in businesses and development requires courage and an appetite for risk. The board of directors of the Business Development Corporation of the Northern Panhandle (BDC) has shown great courage capitalizing on once-in-a-lifetime opportunities - to creatively and aggressively acquire real estate, reinvigorate dormant mills, and raze abandoned factories. The BDC’s creativity in approaching opportunities has made way for emerging industries and opportunities to adapt public and private property into economically viable uses. The following individuals, who comprise the Board of Directors of the BDC, are to be credited for their leadership, creativity, and involvement in the decision-making in economic development in Brooke and Hancock counties:
a. Brooke County Rate in 2009 (Sept.): 11.1% b. Brooke County Rate in 2014 (Nov.): 6.5% c. Hancock County Rate in 2009 (Sept.): 11.8% d. Hancock County Rate in 2014 (Nov.): 6.4% .
(1,219 jobs created and 306 jobs preserved).
. ($37,037,000 million new annual payroll created and $10,651,000 annual payroll preserved). . $13,175,806 public investment. $137,327,000 in private investment. SUB-TOTAL: $2,101,664 in grant funding
3174 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 1, Weirton, WV 26062
(304) 748-5041 • www.bhbdc.com
8B
Sunday, Feb. 1, 2015
Dave Gossett
The Steubenville Truck Center has been operating in the city for 63 years and is now located on Adams Street in Steubenville. Customers can buy new Volvo trucks as well as used trucks and the Steubenville Truck Center is also a GMC parts and service dealer.
Steubenville Truck Center: Family owned STEUBENVILLE — The Remp family has been in the trucking business for 63 years, and current Steubenville Truck Center owner Larry Remp said business has never been better. “We are in the midst of exciting times with the growing oil and gas industry in the region. Our plans for the future include staying the course. We are enjoying the ride right now,” Remp related. The Steubenville Truck Center was formerly located on University Boulevard, “where that very beautiful Franciscan University of Steubenville entrance sign is now located.” “We moved to South Street in 1909 and have made strides in improving the neighborhood and building a great truck center. We are a Volvo truck dealer and we are also a GMC parts and service dealer. We sell new and used trucks and currently have a little less than $1 million in inventory. We also do full service on light and heavy trucks,” explained Remp. C.H. Remp started the Steubenville
Truck Center in 1952. “My father, D.J. Remp, took over the business and now I am the owner. We are a family owned and operated dealership upholding Christian values. We adhere to Christian ethics in our business,” according to Remp. “At the present time we employ 30 people that have 450 years of combined service. We have actually added several new employees in the past few years because of the oil and gas industry moving into the region,” said Remp. The Steubenville Truck Center is open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and from 6 a.m. until noon on Saturdays. In addition to the parts center here in Steubenville, also there’s an online parts store that can be accessed at www.truckpartsstore.com. Remp said the truck center website is www.steubenvilletruckcenter.com. “We take on a ‘can-do’ attitude in all we do. Our number one priority is ‘your satisfaction,’” said Remp.