Canatal Steel USA Announces Jobs and Investment in Botetourt County

CLOVERDALE, Va. (December 14, 2016) – Canatal Steel USA, Inc. will expand its Botetourt County facility to meet increased demand for manufactured structural steel for construction.  The company will invest $1.5 million in new equipment and create 38 jobs at its only U.S. facility.

“The Roanoke Valley is strategically located for our growing market and there is good quality labor for fabrication and assembly of structural steel,” said Canatal Industries President Ralph Poulin. “Also, transport costs are greatly reduced for our projects in DC, South Carolina and North Carolina, which will make Canatal more competitive in obtaining contracts.”

Canatal Steel USA is a subsidiary of Canatal Industries in Quebec, Canada. The Roanoke Regional Partnership recruited Canatal to Botetourt County in 2010. The company fabricates and installs structural steel beams for commercial, residential, institutional, and industrial buildings. It currently employs eighty-three in Cloverdale.

The new jobs will primarily be for welders and fitters. The company is interested in working with Botetourt County Public Schools to establish an apprentice program for welding students at the Botetourt Technical Education Center (B-Tech) in Fincastle, which recently earned accreditation from the American Welding Society. Services to support the company’s employee training activities will be provided through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.

“Workforce training has been and will continue to be key to Canatal’s success in Botetourt County,” said Jack Leffel, chairman of the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors. “The welding program at B-Tech can help Canatal as well as match our graduates with good-paying jobs.”

“The success of our existing businesses is critical to the success of Botetourt County and the region,” said Gary Larrowe, Botetourt County administrator.  “We are committed to connecting our businesses with the resources that will support their long-term success.”

This is the fifth jobs announcement in Botetourt County in 2016 following on the heels of Arkay Packaging (60 jobs), Virginia Community College System (200 jobs), ELDOR Corporation (350), and Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits (178 jobs), for a total of 826 new jobs announced in Botetourt County in 2016.