Hard as Steel - Buckner Steel on the job at UVa's South Lawn

Although there may be some trouble underfoot at UVa's South Lawn project, there is a glint of hope above ground courtesy of the awesome work of Buckner Steel. These are some badass boys - watching steel go up overnight is no joke. One of the most monumental tasks of the entire project - the laying of the bridge over JPA without ever closing traffic is a fine example of modern construction. Mandated to have no shutdowns on the road between the two sides of the South Lawn - one of the busiest corridors of Charlottesville.

Not surprisingly the crews are almost entirely Hispanic. In this case, however, it is worth noting that their treatment reflected the difficulty of their work. Mr. Lewis - their foreman - paid them very decent wages - most of the fellas were making 40-50K per year, and their perfect safety record on the job earned every crew a "topping off" party complete with a pine tree hoisted on the roof.

Steel work is some of the most dangerous and physically challenging work along with masonry. Highly specialized as well, this crew drove in from North Carolina every week to work, returning to their families on the weekends. Something that would be very helpful, if anyone has suggestions, is a way for these week long residents to integrate in to the community more than hitting the bars.... already outsiders linguistically and culturally it might be nice to see some cultural center for immigrant workers....

For the locals reading this - Zach Buckner, founder of the most lifestyle changing website Retailrelay.com lives here in town. His grandfather started the company, and also helped start Zach on a life of engineering challenges. Rock on Buckners :)

Something fun I've noticed in connection to this site - given the readership I'm now connecting keywords from any company mentioned in here. As much fun as it is beating those bobo's at Faulconer it is even more fun working to prop the guys at Buckner.



To see the Buckner boys at work check this video...  sums it up nicely