Former Lynchburg Steel acquired by Tennessee company, set to reopen

70 people lost their jobs when the steel plant closed

AMHERST COUNTY, Va. – The former home of Lynchburg Steel will soon be reopening its doors after being bought by a Tennessee-based steel company.

This summer, 70 people lost their jobs when the steel plant closed.

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Cooper Steel Fabricators Inc. will use the site just north of downtown Lynchburg as its newest subsidiary, Cooper Steel of Virginia.

The Lynchburg-area site will be the company's fourth expansion from its original base of operations in Shelbyville, Tennessee.

Cooper does plan to make some structural and aesthetic improvements to the site, but it will still remain at 275 Francis Avenue in Monroe.

“It’s a win-win and a very exciting time for us to be in Virginia,” said Gary Cooper, CEO and chairman of Cooper Steel. “Cooper Steel has always prided itself on being like family, and today, our family is officially getting a little bigger.”

Cooper President and COO W. Duff Zimmerman says two of the key factors in the acquisition were the large fabrication shop and an established and highly skilled workforce.

“These shop guys really know how to fabricate steel,” Zimmerman explained. “Their experience and expertise made this attractive for us, and we expect that to allow us the ability to handle more jobs and bigger projects as we continue to grow.”

The new site will celebrate an official grand opening on Tuesday during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to include Cooper, Zimmerman, Chief Administrative Officer Jordan Cooper, Vice President Cory Cooper and other key staff.