The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

Related Photos

February 23, 2010

Russian pipemaker confirms reports of new local jobs

Plans $10 million plant expansion

It’s a done deal. Pipe maker Ultra Premium Oilfield Services’ owner said Tuesday it will settle in Brookfield and create up to 120 jobs.

TMK IPSCO, owner of Ultra Premium, made the announcement less than 24 hours after Ohio granted the company tax credits valued at $872,000 if it located in a closed pipe plant in Brookfield. The plant had operated under Sharon Tube Co. but it was closed shortly after Wheatland Tube Co. bought Sharon Tube.

TMK said it plans to produce up to 100,000 tons of threaded pipe annually. Production is expected to begin in the coming months, the company said.

TMK will spend $10 million to expand the plant. Vicki Avril, TMK president and CEO, said the new plant is in direct response to the growing demand for natural gas exploration at Marcellus Shale well sites.

The geological formation is believed to contain an enormous supply of natural gas covering a wide swath of Appalachia in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.

TMK IPSCO is a division of Russian parent company TMK. The company touts itself as one of the world’s largest oil and gas pipe producers and the market leader of the Russian pipe industry.

In a Monday story about the plant, The Herald incorrectly indicated Wheatland Tube Co. President Bill Kerins said that Wheatland Tube does not produce products for Marcellus Shale wells. The company does produce products for the natural gas exploration industry but he expects the TMK venture will have product types, sizes and special chemistries outside of Wheatland Tube’s range.

Bill Strimbu, president of Strimbu Trucking which is a neighbor to the plant was excited about the prospects of a new industrial customer.

“This is the best news Brookfield has had for years,’’ Strimbu said.

Last week V&M; Star Steel sealed a deal to build a $650 million pipe plant expansion in Youngstown.

Text Only
Local News
  • Storm blows in fast, leaves damage

    A scattered storm that started in Michigan and pulled in moisture over Lake Erie organized itself into a locally-severe storm system Sunday over Mercer County.

    May 28, 2012

  • transit Transit is once-in-a-lifetime show

    A rare celestial wonder that won’t be seen again for more than a century is set to play out before our eyes and Farrell’s resident astronomer  is giving locals a chance to get a first-hand look at a “black dawn.”

    May 28, 2012 1 Photo

  • Ominous clouds Storms rumble through parts of Mercer County

    Temperatures dropped nearly 20 degrees Sunday as storms rumbled through parts of Mercer County in the afternoon and again in the evening. Some areas experienced high gusting winds during the early storms. The later storms were less windy, but dumped a lot of rain in a short span in the Shenango Valley as well as outlying areas. Temperatures are forecast for in the 90s on Memorial Day, with a chance of storms in the afternoon. Check out Sunday's Herald both in print and here for more details.

     

     

    May 27, 2012 1 Photo

  • Board wants pay freeze


    Sharon City School District officials are asking staff to take a wage freeze for the second year in a row to help cover a $1.9 million gap in the 2012-2013 budget in the face of further funding cuts by the state.

    May 27, 2012

  • City taps Pa. grant for downtown facelift


    The colorful flower baskets hanging in downtown Sharon are just one of the planted seeds officials hope will help the once-bustling area grow.

    May 27, 2012

  • pension graphic Pension bomb ticking for city

    The city of Sharon pays more people who don’t work there anymore than folks who still do.

    And the amount of money the city must pay to the retirees is going up about $250,000 next year, a hike that creates more problems for the cash-strapped town, City Manager Scott Andrejchak said.

    May 26, 2012 1 Photo

  • Church softball league to Mormons: You’re out!

    The Grove City Area Church Softball League’s decision to exclude a Mormon team from Slippery Rock has sparked a controversy far beyond the local sandlot.

    May 26, 2012

  • Fired bus driver files lawsuit

    A Mercer County woman fired from her job as a school bus driver over a 25-year-old drug conviction filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against a state education official and Jamestown Area School District.

    May 26, 2012

  • Recycling program a bit too popular

    The  county’s effort at going green by encouraging recycling in rural areas has been a tremendous success by most accounts, but isn’t without a few glitches. In Wilmington Township, residents often only have a window of a few minutes to get cardboard recyclables in before the bin is full, prompting a discussion among Mercer County Commissioners Wednesday morning.

    May 25, 2012

  • District will tap reserve fund

    Reynolds school directors plan to fill a $374,567 hole in the 2012-2013 budget with money from the district’s fund balance.

    May 25, 2012