Reign in Hurricanes with Steel

By day, Raymond Bennett works in law enforcement, where his mission is to help keep chaos at bay. That same objective strongly factored into his decision-making process when he set out to buy a workshop to store farm and mechanical equipment on his nine acres of land in Pinetown, NC.

“Being that I live on the coast, it’s all about weathering the next hurricane,” says Bennett. “I decided to buy a steel building because of the strength it offers against wind and storms.”

He noticed a certain type of steel building steadily cropping up along the landscape surrounding his home and property, and went online to see if he could find out who made it. “After doing some research online, I learned that those buildings were made by SteelMaster,” says Bennett. “I purchased a 25 x 20 shop from them about six months ago, and it took my father and me about a month to build.”


For more than 29 years, SteelMaster Buildings, which is located in Virginia Beach, VA, has manufactured, designed, and supplied pre-fabricated arched steel structures to 40,000 customers located in every state of the United States, in 40 countries, and on seven continents around the world.

“SteelMaster buildings are engineered for life,” says Michelle Wickum, the company’s director of marketing. “Our steel buildings are also built to meet the wind loads of their destination whether that’s along North Carolina’s coastline or in the middle of Iowa. They remain maintenance free for a lifetime thanks to the company’s use of Galvalume Plus Coating which offers strength, superior corrosion resistance, and an attractive bright appearance that provides excellent heat reflectivity.” Each SteelMaster building also comes with a 30-year mill-backed warranty by ArcelorMittal (NYSE MT).

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SteelMaster buildings incorporate an arch design which offers 100 percent usable, clear-span space, giving people the flexibility to truly customize the interior by hanging lighting, running conduit, building shelves, creating a loft, adding insulation, and heating/cooling the building.

Every SteelMaster features easy-to-understand, complete illustrated assembly instructions in the newly revised construction manual and uses a one-size nut and bolt system as the only fastener as well as precision-fit components.

“It was pretty easy to construct after the first ring was built,” says Bennett. “My dad and I really like the way the building went together so nicely and how everything was supplied for us even down to the plans. It may have a blue million nuts and bolts, but it is a strong structure and worth the time to put it up. I am very pleased with my purchase and look forward to completing it fully and also using it as a spot to watch Hurricanes hockey in.”

In addition to workshops, SteelMaster’s steel and metal pre-engineered buildings are designed for a broad range of residential and commercial applications including homes, farm buildings, garages, agricultural storage, Quonsets, airplane hangars, RV storage, roofing systems, carports, military buildings, commercial warehousing, and industrial storage as well as a wide variety of custom building applications including athletic facilities, retail stores, churches, bus stops, smoke shacks, doggie dorms, and correctional facilities.

Offering Affordable, Dependable Steel Building is Only the Beginning

Seventeen years ago, James D. "Danny" Hendricks of Woodland, GA was leafing through farm and home magazines when he came upon an advertisement for a company in Virginia Beach, VA that sold steel buildings. Since he was scouting out options for a workshop, Hendricks called to request literature on the buildings and established a rapport with the director of marketing.

“I was fortunate to talk with David B. Adams, who at that time was the director of marketing with SteelMaster Buildings, and after speaking with him, I was convinced that this was the building that I needed because it would fit my needs from a quality and durability standpoint,” says Hendricks. “He was very informative from my first conversation with him, and we became very good friends.”

For more than 28 years, SteelMaster Buildings has manufactured, designed, and supplied pre-fabricated arched steel structures to 40,000 customers located in every state of the United States, in 40 countries, and on seven continents around the world.

SteelMaster prefabricated workshops have been used by all types of hobby enthusiasts including wood workers, metal shops owners, classic car professionals, as well as numerous types of businesses around the globe. The company’s workshop kit, prefabricated workshops, and metal shops provide 100 percent unencumbered, usable space to organize, store, and protect valuable tools and machinery as well as provide comfort, security, and durability against fire, snow, and hurricane-force winds. People who own a SteelMaster workshop have the flexibility to truly customize the inside of their building because the unique clear-span design allows them the opportunity to hang lighting, run conduit, build shelving, add a loft, insulate, and heat/cool the building.

Three years after Hendricks bought his workshop, he purchased a second building for machinery and hay storage. Then three years later, he bought yet another building to use for storage of lawn and garden equipment. He says that part of the reason he continued buying from SteelMaster was because of the level of customer service he continued to receive after he first started communicating with Abrams.

“On one occasion after the purchase of my first building, a stranger drove into my yard,” says Hendricks. “As this man stepped out of his car, he said, ‘I am David Adams with SteelMaster Buildings, and I was passing through your area and wanted to stop by to meet you and see your building.’ We had a very good visit, and our friendship lasted.”
According to Michelle Wickum, who is currently the company’s director of marketing, SteelMaster has always taken this approach with its customers.

“Our company was founded with a mission to be the best in the business, and we are,” says Wickum. “To be the best, that doesn’t just mean delivering the highest quality buildings at an affordable rate, it also means going the extra mile for our customers and touching base with them after their building is constructed to make sure that it is everything that they need it to be. We genuinely care about the people we serve.”

Hendricks says he believes in SteelMaster and its buildings so much that he hasn’t been shy about spreading the word to others.

“I appreciate that the ease of which I have been able to assemble and construct my buildings as well as their durability, quality, and the fact that they blend very well into my farm layout and the landscape, says Hendricks. “As a result, I have helped SteelMaster sell numerous buildings in this area of Georgia. The picture that is shown in the Georgia section of the SteelMaster website shows the back side of my three buildings. I am proud of my buildings, and I appreciate them being a part of the company’s website.”

SteelMaster’s steel and metal pre-engineered buildings are designed for a broad range of residential and commercial applications including garages, carports, metal barns, Quonsets, airplane hangars, RV storage, roofing systems, military buildings, commercial warehousing, and industrial storage as well as a wide variety of custom building applications including athletic facilities, retail stores, churches, bus stops, smoke shacks, doggie dorms, and correctional facilities.