Mountain Metals, owned by Bay Metal Inc., broke ground on a new facility in St. Marys, Pa., April 22. The facility, which will be totally enclosed, more than doubles the size of Mountain Metals facility in Ridgway, Pa. That operation will be closed and moved into the new facility, when construction of the new plant is done. Both facilities are located in central Pennsylvania.
According to Craig Anshutz, vice president of Bay Metal, the new plant is expected to be operational by the end of this summer. When completed, in addition to the four employees of Mountain Metal’s staff, the company expects to add several more employees to its Pennsylvania staff.
In addition to the Pennsylvania facility Bay Metal has operations in Ohio and Tennessee.
During the groundbreaking, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell presented the company with a $200,000 check from the Small Business First Loan program.
The new operation will focus on handling powder metal floor sweepings from the area, Anshutz says. The region where the Pennsylvania plant is being built is in a region where a significant amount of the powdered metals are generated. The material is “something that is normally a landfill product,” he notes.
In addition to taking in the powdered metal sweepings, the new facility will be looking to develop a more robust street trade with the residents in the area.
According to local published reports, during the groundbreaking ceremony, Frank Pillari, president of Bay Metal, the parent company of Mountain Metal, said, "I am very excited and very proud to be here as we embark on the groundbreaking of this state-of-the-art indoor recycling facility.”
He said Mountain Metal started 15 years ago in Ridgway. Now, the plant has four employees who he feels have done a great job in a less than perfect building.
"We're looking forward to working with the community on a long-term basis," said Pillari.