Big, Heavy and Nimble
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| T Bailey incorporated steel windmill tower elements into the design of its new headquarters building in Anacortes. |
Whether working on projects that
are big and heavy or small and artistic, T Bailey Inc. is using its skill in
steel fabrication as the basis for a successful business model. While the
Anacortes-based company is best known for building large water tanks and
bridges, it has generated fresh growth by taking on trendy jobs like windmill
towers and residential projects. And to establish its identity as a
cutting-edge fabricator, it has commissioned the design of an impressive new
headquarters building.
Gene Tanaka, 51, who founded the
company in 1991, says heavy industrial construction using welded steel-plate
fabrication is the firm’s primary competitive advantage. The company, which
generates $30 million to $40 million in annual revenues, recently built the
carbon and stainless steel Westway Terminals methanol storage tanks in
Aberdeen, capable of holding 3.3 million gallons each, although it has built
tanks capable of holding as much as 12 million gallons. The company expanded
into a new field when it supplied two 240-foot-long, 275,000-pound steel
pilings for the new Port Mann Bridge outside Vancouver, B.C.
In the process of taking on these
big projects, the business has added a number of skills to its repertoire
including earthwork, concrete foundations, utilities and mechanical work. As a
result, T Bailey has successfully built a steel-reinforced niche in such
regional markets as Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and Hawaii,
bidding on low-risk, high-competition public projects as well as higher-risk
private projects.
In addition to its 20 administrative
employees, T Bailey has 25 to 125 employees in its manufacturing facilities
depending on the kind of projects it’s working on at any given time. The
facility, one of the largest in the region, allows flexibility.
Tanaka says working in remote sites
in Alaska has taught him how to deal with financial and logistical risks. Many
construction sites in Alaska can be reached only by barge or plane. When you
depend on barges that might make one or two trips a year, meeting deadlines
becomes critical. “You have to have the complete scope of the project on the
barge and hope it arrives on time and doesn’t get stuck in an ice break,” he
says. “You hope all the equipment runs when you get up there. It is
challenging, but it gets you excited at the same time.”
His experience in operating in such
environments has given Tanaka a taste for taking on other challenging projects.
The company is currently bidding on
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