Metallic Building Co. is proud to announce Medford, Oregon-based J.B. Steel Inc., as our 2015 Builder of the Year award winner. An Authorized Metallic Builder since 1997, J.B. Steel has a solid reputation for innovation and creativity, providing metal building solutions for its customers in the U.S. West Coast region. This award was presented during the Metallic’s annual National Sales Meeting on March 4, 2016, at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort in Amelia Island, Fla.

“Andy Batzer and his team do very impressive and innovative work in the pre-engineered metal building construction industry, exemplifying what a Metallic Builder of the Year represents: ingenuity, creativity, collaboration and a spirit of community,” said Metallic President, Tom Boal.

“The key to success for me has been paved by the creativity and design abilities of the people around me, so this award really is the culmination of a team effort,” said Andy Batzer, owner of J.B. Steel, Inc.

Working alongside Batzer is a team comprised of a creative and hardworking family and staff. Brothers Russ and Bill Batzer, along with Andy’s daughter Tara Fisher, are key to the overall management of the company. The in-house design team consists of two licensed architects, Gary Caperna and Bruce Anderson, both members of the AIA. Mike Thibeault, Larry Rux, and John Williams lead the shop and field staff with a combined experience of more than 100 years.

Together, they have been involved in numerous metal building projects that, in Batzer’s words; “really push the limits of what a metal building can do.” Case in point is the Ochoco Hangar at Hillsboro Airport in Hillsboro, Oregon. The project required Batzer and his team to come up with creative solutions to complicated design-build challenges that ultimately resulted in the successful completion of the building.

In addition to delivering a number of successful, high-complexity metal building projects for his clients, Batzer and his team are integral members of their Southern Oregon community. Batzer is personally involved with the Rotary Club of Medford, through which he has participated in the installations of nearly 20 playgrounds at local area schools and parks; Kid Time!, a nonprofit children’s museum; and Kid’s Unlimited, a provider of youth and community development services to the underprivileged.

The Builder of the Year Award is presented annually to an Authorized Metallic Builder to recognize their consistent contributions to the pre-engineered metal building construction industry and their local community, and the builder’s innovative use of metal building materials.

J.B. Steel Inc. has previously earned Metallic excellence and merit awards and a spot in the Metallic M-Team (top 25 builders in the nation) on numerous occasions.