WALBRIDGE, OH — Rudolph Libbe Group company Rudolph Libbe Inc. (RLI), the construction manager for North Star BlueScope's 660,000-square-foot expansion project in Fulton County, was announced as the winner of the 2022 Build Ohio Award in the Industrial/Heavy category by the Ohio Association of General Contractors.

The annual award ceremony in Columbus, Ohio, recognized the best construction projects completed from August 1, 2021, to July 31, 2022. NorthStar BlueScope is an Australia-based steelmaker with operations in Delta, Ohio. The Build Ohio Award is the 10th for Rudolph Libbe Group since 1993.

"We are honored to accept this award on behalf of our client, North Star BlueScope, which collaborated with our team so that this extensive project could be completed safely, on time, and with no interruptions to ongoing operations," said RLI President Jeff Schaller.

"Building a 660,000-square-foot facility while producing over 6,000 tons of steel per day in the middle of the COVID pandemic was indeed extraordinary," said BlueScope North American Chief Executive Patrick Finan. "The size and complexity of the project was incredible and was accomplished while not losing a single scheduled production day. This award reflects the excellent teamwork between Rudolph Libbe and North Star BlueScope."

In addition to its role as construction manager, RLI provided laborers, carpenters, operators, brick masons, and cement finishers for the project. Electricians, ironworkers, pipefitters, millwrights, insulators, sheet metal workers, and boilermakers from GEM Inc., another Rudolph Libbe Group company, also were critical to the project's success.

"The coordination between RLI and GEM on a project of this magnitude was outstanding, and the Build Ohio Award bears that out," GEM Inc. President Steve Johnson said.