October 1, 2013

Scott Galvanizing leaving after 50 years in Ballard

Scott Galvanizing Co. has operated for half a century in Ballard, but now it is leaving because of growth, both internally and in the neighborhood.

The company recently broke ground on a 28,500-square-foot shop in Arlington. The pre-engineered steel building is going up on 3.5 acres of vacant land at 6010 199th St. N.E.

“When (our) place was built 50 years ago, it was different,” said Hadi Mirzai, president and owner since 2005. “(The area) was more industrial. Now Ballard is more condos.”

Mirzai named three reasons for moving: the changing neighborhood, tough city regulations and limited parking.

Seattle Senior Planner Patrice Carroll said Scott Galvanizing's current site — at 1520 N.W. Leary Way near the Ballard Bridge — is in an industrial zone that doesn't allow housing but is two blocks away from an urban village.

Carroll said later this year and next the city will look at land use in Ballard and what is changing, including industrial uses. The city will work with the Ballard Chamber of Commerce.

“We are actually seeing some new businesses moving into Ballard,” Carroll said.

But the new businesses are typically smaller — microbreweries, food processors, custom furniture makers and caterers — and are geared to fit the neighborhood's needs. Carroll called them “production, distribution and repair” businesses.

In the last few years, three microbreweries have popped up within a 300-foot radius of Scott Galvanizing. One of them, Peddler Brewing Co., opened last March next door.

Mirzai's business isn't neighborhood-dependent. Its customers are primarily steel fabricators and contractors in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and Hawaii.

Mirzai said the company started looking at properties in 2008 in the south end, but land was too expensive so they turned their attention to the north.

The move allows Scott Galvanizing to add about 10,000 square feet to its operations, and it will own the building instead of leasing.

Mirzai said there will be plenty of parking and easy freeway access, unlike in Ballard.

“We thought it would be good to get out of the city,” he said. “I like it up there.”

Sea Con LLC of Issaquah is building the new plant and should be finished in February. Mirzai said the goal is to be operating by mid-March.

He said the plant will have one of the largest hot-dip galvanizing kettles on the West Coast, but he wouldn't disclose the dimensions.

The kettle in Ballard measures 22 feet long, 5.5 feet wide and 6.5 feet deep, according to the company's website.

About 90 percent of the equipment in Arlington will be new, Mirzai said.

The plan includes 8,000 square feet of expansion space.

Mirzai said the new location will be able to handle five to 10 times more work than the Ballard plant. It also is expected to employ between 50 and 60 workers, about double the existing workforce.

Mirzai said most employees will make the move north, but they might lose a few. He said many of his workers already live north of Seattle.

The new plant is being financed by Umpqua Bank's SBA division. The design team is 2812 Architecture, Kosnik Engineering (structural) and Insight Engineering (civil).

Scott Galvanizing provides corrosion protection by dipping steel into kettles of molten zinc, a process that metallurgically bonds the two metals.

Mirzai said about two-thirds of the business is construction materials, such as street poles, guardrails, canopies, rebar mesh and railings. The company also galvanizes machine parts and marine equipment such as fishing baskets.