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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate SOSEScript: profileTree_MainNav.php5 failed executing with the following error: Error on line 185 position 1: Maximum execution time of 60 seconds exceeded FEATURED » NEWS NOW Sheriff warns Eastern Oregon monument proposal could spark standoff ... Former Jackson County Community Justice director pleads guilty on meth charge ... Jackson County to FERC: Uphold pipeline denial ... Sheriff warns Eastern Oregon monument proposal could spark standoff ... Former Jackson County Community Justice director pleads guilty on meth charge ... Jackson County to FERC: Uphold pipeline denial ... MEDFORD COMPANY Medford's J.B. Steel recognized as top metal builder; projects include Phil Knight's hangar Projects include Phil Knight's $7.6 million hangar Comment By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness Posted May. 20, 2016 at 5:16 PM By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness Posted May. 20, 2016 at 5:16 PM » Social News Chances are you've seen J.B. Steel at work, or at least construction projects in which the Medford metal fabricator has played a role. Located next to Batzer Construction on North Ross Lane, J.B. Steel operates as far east as the Rockies and south in California. Metal builders' data for 2015 released in March ranks J.B. Steel No. 23 nationally in tonnage and No. 29 in square footage. J.B. Steel fabricated 2,010 tons of metal, up 77.2 percent over 2014 — the largest gain among the Top 30 companies. Its materials covered 448,178 square feet, up 88.1 percent from 2014. Earlier this year, Houston-based Metallic Building Co., one of three major national manufacturers, named J.B. Steel its 2015 Builder of the Year for its contributions to the pre-engineered metal building construction industry, including innovative use of metal materials. "We really pushed it this year," said President Andy Batzer. "The economy has improved, our customers are coming out of the recession and there is pent-up demand. Projects that were put on hold 10 years ago are back alive now." The company's crowning achievement is the $7.6 million Ochoco Hangar at Hillsboro Airport, built in 2014, where Nike co-founder Phil Knight parks his personal aircraft, a Gulfstream G650. "It was one of the more creative buildings we have done, because we pushed the limits of what a metal building can do," Batzer said. "The customer had some specific designs, but none of the design teams could figure out how to do it and we were able to offer a design that met criteria." The main 28,000-square-foot hangar and 10,000-square-foot attached office has a 19-foot cantilever roof, a 160-foot oak door and a 24-by-125-foot curtain wall. "That was a little bit challenging," Batzer said. "But that all goes back to creativity and understanding what can be done and how well you can put a building together; no other contractor I'm aware of knew how to do it." J.B. Steel was created in the 1970s when Batzer Construction realized it could fabricate steel in-house for less than buying it from its supplier. Although it works with Batzer Construction at times, it generally performs a different kind of work for a different client base. "We're more a supplier and subcontractor than Batzer Construction, which is a general contractor, although we hold a general license also," Batzer said. The company participated in the early years of wind-powered energy, producing components for windmills in the Tehachapi Pass southeast of Bakersfield, Calif. When Roseburg Forest Products performed a 550,000-square-foot expansion at its laminated veneer lumber plant in Dillard in the mid-1990s, it was up to J.B. Steel to rework conventional thinking and employ the first long-bay system on the West Coast. "We produced the next generation of framing trusses," Batzer said. "We used to be limited to a 30-foot bay, now we can go 65 feet wide between the framing members." Years ago, J.B. Steel produced similar numbers to the present, but the company is more efficient now, he said. The company uses a laser screed that allows it to lay down concrete on its own, rather than bring in another contractor for larger jobs. "I remember when pouring for a 20,000-square-foot building was a big deal," he said. "We don't bat an eye at 100,000 square feet now." General contractors often produce their own fabrication, but there are only so many people working in the field. When other area metal fabricating companies, such as Crater Iron in Central Point, Pacific Iron in Grants Pass and Bay Cities in White City, fell by the wayside for economic or succession reasons, Batzer corralled the experienced hands. "When the recession hit a lot of people became available, and that's rare in our industry," said Batzer, whose present staff numbers between 40 and 50 in building erection and 15 more in the fabrication shop. "Most of those people had incredible experience." Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness , on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31 . By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness MailTribune.com By Greg Stiles Mail Tribune Follow @@GregMTBusiness Posted May. 20, 2016 at 5:16 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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