SUMMER 2008
STEEL FABRICATOR’S REVIEW
3
FROM THE CEO Summer is back!
Even though Mother Nature has been unpredictable throughout the world, we are pleased to see warm weather return here in the Midwest, USA. My wife and I took advantage, and gathered our kids for a week’s vacation at the beach. As we all know, family vacations are sometimes “challenging”, but I truly enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with my family. I also had a little time for reflection and contemplation: reflection on what our industry has accomplished the past few years, and contemplation on where the market will Anton Peddinghaus
take us in the future. commodities–including steel–are seeing rapid price escalation.
We were pleased to welcome old and new friends to the Peddinghaus booth at the NASCC.
In the traditional Nashville Spirit Peddinghaus welcomed our industry friends.
NASCC–Huge Industry Success
and partners. We know how much we owe you for our success in this business. Our celebration at Nashville’s landmark Wildhorse Saloon was an acknowledgement of your contributions to Peddinghaus throughout the years.
Heartiest congratulations to the AISC for such a wonderful conference in Nashville this year. Scott Melnick, Katey Preston, and the entire AISC staff did another superb job of organization and planning for the event. Record attendance is a testimony to the growth of our industry.
A WildHorse Thank You to our Great Customers! Every employee of Peddinghaus Corporation was deeply honored by the unbelievable number of customers and industry partners who gathered at the WildHorse Saloon for our Thank You dinner on Wednesday, April 2. Over 600 people–participants from every phase of structural steel construction–attended our event. We couldn’t be more pleased, or humbled, by their wonderful response. Peddinghaus just wanted to say “Thank You” to our wonderful customers and industry friends
In these economic times, our industry partners, bankers and friends in the financial business, frequently ask us to forecast or project opinion on today’s marketplace. Though we are not economists, we know that the vibrant markets once experienced in Ireland, the UK, and USA have cooled a bit. However, by comparison steel fabricators in Eastern Europe and the Middle East are seeing vibrant markets with prices for fabricated steel exceeding $3,000 per ton.
I hoped you all enjoyed our employee “Thank You” video, the wonderful Tennessee cuisine, the live Nashville music and our special guest of honor–Bill Engvall! Bill’s comedic genius was evident to the audience, and his wonderful humor transcended everyone in attendance. By the way, we see that Bill now has his own TV show, so we are really pleased with his success and thank him for joining us in Nashville. Steel pipe dreams can come true in the Middle East.
Today’s Steel Market: Obstacles or Opportunities? Read today’s newspaper headlines or watch the various televised news programs, and you know that we are all experiencing some very unusual economic times. Who would have thought the price for a barrel of oil would jump so dramatically in such a short time? (Over $1.42 as of this writing). The global demand for oil is driving prices higher every day which affects both our businesses and our personal life. Similarly, other
When One Door Closes, Another Opens…. Most of you know me–I am the eternal optimist. Even though only a few drops remain, my glass is ALWAYS half-full! My Dad always instilled in me the power of a positive attitude, “Anton, always look forward– never look back!” His words ring very true now. Continued on page 6