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Nucor steel brings jobs and investment to Lexington

Rolls of steel are stored outside the rolling facility and await shipment at the Nucor Steel Gallatin plant in Ghent, Ky. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)

Nucor, one of the world's largest steel producers, is coming to Davidson County where it will generate at least 180 jobs. Lexington will be home to a new micro mill steel plant.

Nucor, headquartered in Charlotte, manufactures carbon and alloy steel bars, beams, sheets and more. The new $350 million plant, Nucor Steel Lexington, will use scrap metal as its primary raw material and create an estimated 430,000 tons of rebar a year.

In a press release, company president Leon Topalian says the steel they produce will be made with nearly 100% recycled content. He says the move to Davidson County was driven by its unique location, and he calls the Washington D.C. and Atlanta corridor one of the fastest growing regions in the country. Increased demand due to new federal spending on infrastructure, and a solid pre-existing workforce were also major considerations.

The average salary for all new positions will be nearly $100,000 generating roughly $15 million for the local economy each year.

Before his arrival in the Triad, David had already established himself as a fixture in the Austin, Texas arts scene as a radio host for Classical 89.5 KMFA. During his tenure there, he produced and hosted hundreds of programs including Mind Your Music, The Basics and T.G.I.F. Thank Goodness, It's Familiar, which each won international awards in the Fine Arts Radio Competition. As a radio journalist with 88.5 WFDD, his features have been recognized by the Associated Press, Public Radio News Directors Inc., Catholic Academy of Communication Professionals, and Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas. David has written and produced national stories for NPR, KUSC and CPRN in Los Angeles and conducted interviews for Minnesota Public Radio's Weekend America.

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