APPLE GROVE, W.Va. — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito stopped by the Nucor Steel site in Mason County for a tour on Monday and left with some hardware.
Nucor Steel Chair and CEO Leon Topalian surprised Capito with a “Woman of Steel” award to recognize her commitment to bringing Nucor to Apple Grove. The process was far from streamlined when Nucor tried to come to West Virginia. Permits for the plant had been held up for a year by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, almost to the point where Nucor considered re-opening options for its plant site.
Topalian praised former U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, along with Capito, for making sure the project happened.
“Senator Manchin and Senator Capito stood out,” Topalian said. “They were exemplary in wanting to bring Nucor to the state, wanting to bring these jobs to the state, wanting to bring a company that was going to transform and change lives for decades to come. The two of them rose above any politics to bring what was going to be the best outcome for the state and the people of West Virginia.”
Topalian noted that Capito’s involvement in the project focused on a deep care for West Virginians and what the plant could bring.
“From the first times I met her, (she) was very interested to understand, what was Nucor’s culture?” Topalian said. “How did we take care of our team? Why was safety the most important value? Because she was also thinking very much about the people of West Virginia and how we were going to reflect on this community.”
Capito said she felt it was important to step in. She said that she keeps tabs on the latest developments at the site.
“When it got really down to crunch time, that’s where my influence was the strongest,” Capito said. “I visit here frequently; I keep up any time any little things come up; I want to make sure we’re producing steel here as efficiently and as quickly as we can.”
Lots of Nucor product will move up north into Ohio to be used in the automotive industry, Capito said. She added that Nucor’s operation was appealing because it has a great impact on the future.
“It’s not like a fly-by-night industry,” Capito said. “West Virginia is solidly here. We hear the fact that it’s state of the art, it’s the greenest one that there is, probably in the world, and it has a lot of local folks here; they’re giving back to the community on a daily basis.”
Capito emphasized that it’s important to manufacture materials in the United States, and Nucor will do just that.
“It’s just a huge, huge project,” Capito said. “It’s good for the country. We want to domestically build; we know that it’s better for us, we know it’s better for our country, it’s safer for our country. That’s what they’re going to do.”
This is only the beginning, Topalian said. He added that he is excited to see what Nucor will become in the community.
“Nucor is an incredible company,” Topalian said. “We’re going to be here for a long time. I can’t wait to watch, in the years to come, how we help to integrate ourselves into Mason County, how we help to bring incredible jobs to the county.”
The Nucor facility is expected to be operational by next year.