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Shannon Galvanizing breaks ground in Floresville




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Participating in the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Shannon Galvanizing facility at Floresville’s Rancho Grande Industrial Park March 30 are Floresville Electric Light & Power System Design Manager Drew Pope (l-r) and Chief Executive Officer Greg Low; Wilson County Commissioner Paul Pfeil, Floresville City Attorney Sylvia Rodriguez, Floresville Economic Development Corp. (FEDC) Treasurer Roy Idrach, Floresville City Council member Gloria Cantu, FEDC Executive Assistant Charlotte Ximenez-Nelson and board member Jacob Gaona; Shannon Galvanizing LLC General Manager Charlie Shannon and President David Shannon; FEDC Executive Director Ben Reed, Floresville Mayor Cissy Gonzalez-Dippel, Interim City Manager Andy Joslin, City Financial Director Cynthia Sturm, and City Secretary Monica Veliz; and Floresville Chamber of Commerce President Mark Burris. GREGORY RIPPS/Wilson County News

Participating in the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Shannon Galvanizing facility at Floresville’s Rancho Grande Industrial Park March 30 are Floresville Electric Light & Power System Design Manager Drew Pope (l-r) and Chief Executive Officer Greg Low; Wilson County Commissioner Paul Pfeil, Floresville City Attorney Sylvia Rodriguez, Floresville Economic Development Corp. (FEDC) Treasurer Roy Idrach, Floresville City Council member Gloria Cantu, FEDC Executive Assistant Charlotte Ximenez-Nelson and board member Jacob Gaona; Shannon Galvanizing LLC General Manager Charlie Shannon and President David Shannon; FEDC Executive Director Ben Reed, Floresville Mayor Cissy Gonzalez-Dippel, Interim City Manager Andy Joslin, City Financial Director Cynthia Sturm, and City Secretary Monica Veliz; and Floresville Chamber of Commerce President Mark Burris. GREGORY RIPPS/Wilson County News

“Thank you for coming and picking our community.”

Those were the words of Floresville Economic Development Corp. (FEDC) Executive Director Ben Reed at the March 30 groundbreaking for the Shannon Galvanizing plant. A number of local officials and civic leaders echoed his message at the event.

The 50,000-square-foot plant — to be constructed at 804 F.M. 537 in the Rancho Grande Industrial Park — is expected to provide as many as 60 jobs for people in the local area.

“After the year everyone has had, it’s great to come out here for this,” Floresville Mayor Cissy Gonzalez-Dippel said. “Thank you, every organization that made this happen.”

Leading the effort to bring Shannon Galvanizing to the area was the FEDC, and Reed said he had been talking with the Shannon brothers for about a year and a half before their plans materialized.

Shannon Galvanizing LLC President David Shannon said he and his brother started planning their business venture in 2017 and began looking at the area between Austin and Corpus Christi to build a plant.

“The area had only one provider of galvanizing and needed another,” Shannon said. “We started looking at Wilson County in 2018.”

The FEDC’s assistance and the availability of utilities were significant factors in choosing the location, according to Shannon.

“It will be a first-class facility,” Shannon said. “I’d say the best in Texas.”

The project will cost between $8 million and $10 million before it’s “all done,” said Shannon, who hopes that the plant will be operational by late summer of 2021. He plans to hold a job fair for potential plant employees before that.

A galvanizing experience

Simply put, galvanizing is a process of coating steel or iron with a layer of zinc.

While there are different methods of galvanizing, the Shannon Galvanizing plant will submerge the metal in molten zinc heated to about 840 degrees, explained Charlie Shannon, Shannon Galvanizing LLC general manager. The process is complete after the coating dries and cools.

The purpose of galvanizing metal is to retard rust and corrosion.

“Galvanizing can protect metal for 60 to 75 years,” Shannon said.

Items ranging from nails to light posts to automobile parts can be galvanized, and the use of galvanized components can save on maintenance and repair to the construction or equipment that employs them.

According to Shannon, the Floresville plant will be able to accommodate metal as long as 80 feet and weighing up to 20,000 pounds.

The galvanizing process has another plus, Shannon pointed out for those with environmental concerns.

“Zinc is a naturally occurring substance,” he said. “Galvanizing is metal on metal. It’s better than painting.”

Shannon’s brother David, the corporation’s president, noted that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has already approved their operation and they will continue to work together.

gripps@wcn-online.com